I'm Stuck Between a Prankster and a Pompous, Great
by Yugioh13
Summary: Ayame decides to moves to Waffle Island in hopes of becoming a rancher, to have an adventure, and to find love. After she adjusts to her new life she becomes friends with two guys from completely different worlds. What happens when the crazy carpenter and the mayor's grouchy son begin to fall for her? Who will she choose? Luke/Gill/OC Spin-off/Sort of Sequel to Stolen Heart
1. My Adventure Begins

**STORY SYNOPSIS: Well this is it, a new start for a new character. For those of you who remember my last story, 'A Stolen Heart', Jenny had received a letter from her younger cousin, Ayame. Ayame wants to go out into the world to have an adventure and meet someone just like Jenny did. Now it's Ayame's turn to tell her story. Ayame is moving to Waffle Island, a small and tranquil island out in the middle of the ocean, to live her life out on her own and away from the busy city. But while she's there she ends up making friends with the hyperactive carpenter and the pompous Mayor's son. After time goes by both guys begin to realize that she's the girl of their dreams and both are falling in love with her. Ayame is torn between the two and can't decide. Who will she choose? The hyperactive prankster or the pompous rich boy? Well, you'll find out soon. **

**IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN RE-EDITED! I felt that this chapter was missing a few things and some boring things that needed to be removed! So I hope that you all enjoy the newer version of this chapter! PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU ALL THINK OF THE REVERSION! Also, I will be re-editing other chapters as well, so keep your eyes open for any new revision I may publish.   
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**Here's chapter one of my new story. I hope you all enjoy this story! Please review and message me; I really appreciate it! Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC, Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.**

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><p>"'A wonderful life on wonderful Waffle Island awaits you. Come and experience a true rancher's paradise!'" I took a big breath, taking in the advertisement. "Wow that's <em>some<em> brochure." I concluded as I tucked the brochure back into my pocket.

I rested my arms against the side of the boat, leaning my head out so I could watch the water slosh against the bottom of the cruising ferry-boat.

'Waffle Island sounds good in the brochure but I wonder if it's good in real life; well I guess I'm gonna have to find that out for myself.'

I was the typical city girl; lived in a little apartment with my small family, went to the usual cafe and shops with my friends, and dealt with the loud and bustling traffic. Along with the fact that there were **_no_** guys interested in a girl like me; the nerdy brunette who loved to speak her mind and act random at every waking moment. Yep, that was my life in a nutshell.

I've lived in the city for **_way too_** long and I finally made my decision to move away from it as much as possible. Mom didn't really argue with me about that; she always hoped that I would go into the world and do something for myself.

I searched the brochures and catalogs for a new place to live for weeks; most of the places were just more apartments that weren't really that nice and they were located in a city; which is **_not_** what I needed again.

When I was about to give up and forget the whole idea, I finally came across the Waffle Island brochure. Funny name for an island, but I really liked it. A nice sunny island off the coast from the city and it was a small town filled with little houses along the beach. Now **_that's_** what I needed. A little house on the shore and with a small cozy town down the street. No more traffic, no more idiotic people; just the nice calm breeze and tranquil environment. Who knows, maybe the guys will be a lot friendlier there.

I always had a dream to try and become a farmer of some sort. I wanted to be a farmer like my cousin, Jenny. She moved back into her father's old farm a few years ago and got married to some thief in Forget-Me-Not-Valley. And trust me, I was shocked to hear about that sort of news. I want an adventure too.

So here I am, on a ferry-boat to Waffle Island; ready to start my life on my own.

My stomach was already churning at the thought. I was so nervous to see where I was going to be living and I was nervous about the city folk too. I hope they'll like me.

"Good morning Miss. Are you on your way to Waffle Island?" asked the captain of the ferry-boat.

I turned around and faced him. He looked to be in his mid-fifties and his voice had a slight Irish accent to it. Also he held a small brown pipe in his hand.

I smiled. "Yeah I am. Is it as nice as they describe in the brochure?"

"Why it's the best place to become a legendary rancher. Is that what you are going to do?"

I nodded my head in reply. "That's what I'm hoping to do."

"That's good to hear, Lass." He held out his hand. "The name's Captain Pascal. And you are?"

I shook his hand. "Ayame, sir."

"Well Miss Ayame, you're going to love it there. It's the best place to live!"

"That's what it says in the brochure. I hope it's all true."

He nodded in agreement. "The brochure is always correct about this island. Mayor Hamilton himself created that brochure! A fine mayor he is indeed."

"Well that's good to hear."

He looked out towards the front of the boat. "Come on Lass, I think we're almost there. You'll be able to see it just about now from the front. Trust me, it's a view you'll be dying to see." he said as he led me out to the very front of the little boat.

Off in the distance a little island appeared. As we drew closer the island grew larger and larger in our view.

As the clouds above us parted the sun's rays hit the island just right to show off its beauty. Nice green hills and deep blue oceans surrounding it. It looked so pretty even though we were a few miles away from it.

"There she is, Waffle Island." Pascal announced.

I smiled at my new home. "It's beautiful! I can't wait to get there already!" I could already feel my heart pounding with excitement as we grew near the island.

The Captain looked up at the sky. "It looks like beautiful weather to be coming in."

Suddenly all the happiness was shattered as a bolt of lightning erupted from the sky and it started pouring down rain.

My clothes started soaking through and my hair was being flattened down against my neck.

"Or so it was." Pascal responded.

Despite of what just occurred in the last few seconds, I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, sounds like you jinxed that one."

Pascal laughed at me. "It sounds like I have, Lass. Well we'd better head inside now; we don't want to get soaked now do we?"

"Too late." I giggled as we both headed back inside of the boat.

"Funny little Lass aren't you?" he joked.

Suddenly the boat shifted causing us to to lose our balance and then I felt something hard hit the back of my head. I collapsed on the floor, my head hitting the side of the ship and began to feel myself slipping into unconsciousness.

"Miss Ayame! Are you okay?" I heard Pascal yell before I blacked out.

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><p>I slowly opened my eyes to the bright light that shined directly into my face.<p>

As my vision finally came clear, I found myself in a small bedroom. It was a tiny room with a dresser in the corner and a little side table next to my bed.

'Where am I?' I asked myself as I tried to sit up.

Before I could sit upright, a sharp pain shot through my head.

"Ow!" I yelled in pain as I held my head.

"Oh my gosh! Are you alright?" a voice asked.

I looked at the door to see a girl who looked about my age standing in the doorway. She had emerald-green eyes and long blonde hair pulled into a ponytail. She wore a blue jean blouse that showed her stomach and a short brown skirt. She looked a little bit like a cowgirl.

"Yeah, I think so. Why does my head hurt so much?"

She came over to my bed and sat at the end. "You hit your head on the boat when you were on your way here. Captain Pascal brought you here after you blacked out. The doctor saw you and checked on you to make sure that you were okay. You've been out since yesterday." the girl replied.

My eyebrows rose. 'I've been unconscious for a day? Sheesh...talk about an entrance.'

I looked around the room to try to take in my surroundings. "Where's here?"

"The Sundae Inn. It's a small Inn on Waffle Island. I'm Kathy by the way; I work here at the Bar." she replied with a huge smile.

I smiled back. "I'm Ayame."

'Well at least she's really nice.'

"It's nice to meet you. You must be the new resident here. We've all heard about you coming to live here. Everyone has been getting ready for your arrival."

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it's not very often that we get new residents here. As soon as Mayor Hamilton announced that you were coming, we've all been preparing our little town for you to come and see. Also I think the town has been working on your new house too."

My grin widened. "Aw, you guys didn't have to do all that for me."

"Well, we're the kind of town that loves to make everyone feel comfortable here on Waffle Island. I bet the islanders can't wait to meet you."

"I can't wait to meet them either."

"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's get you out of this bed and get you out there to meet everyone." She stood up from the bed. "Do you think you can stand?"

"I'll give it a try." I pulled the blankets back and swung my legs out. As my feet rested on the ground I managed to ignore the slight pain in my head and stood to my feet with no problems. "Mission accomplished!"

"All right it looks like you're in good shape. You haven't fallen over yet." She joked.

I laughed. "Yeah, I haven't died yet."

She laughed along with me. "Come on let's go downstairs." she said as she grabbed my hand and pulled me downstairs to the lobby of the Inn.

The lobby kind of reminded me of a lodge from an old movie. The lobby desk in the corner next to some potted plants, a little couch with a coffee table sitting in front of it, and a very large wooden door sat at the end of the stairs. Also a small café was connected to the lobby. A small restaurant with five small tables with four chairs around each and a little kitchen in the back of the room with a bar attached.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs a group of people stood there waiting for us.

'Wow, wasn't expecting this.'

A man with gray hair stepped forward. "Hello, you must be Ayame. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine; my head still a little sore, but I'll live"

A woman with short orange hair smiled. "That's good to hear that you're recovering. Oh, I'm Colleen and this is my husband, Jake. We're the owners of the Sundae Inn." she said as she gestured to the gray-haired man.

A short plump woman stepped forward to shake my hand. "Hello dear, I'm Yolanda. I'm the chef here. I'm sorry to hear about your entrance here; being knocked out on the boat ride here and then having to spend your first day here in the doctor's office and then moved here to recover."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Ah, that's okay. I wasn't sure how to make my**_ grand_** entrance here anyways. I'm just glad to finally be here and to meet all of you."

She laughed at me and nudged Jake with her elbow. "I like her already."

"Anyways, my wife and I run the hotel here. Our daughter, Maya, and my mother, Yolanda, work in the kitchen during the day. And we have a bar here that opens at 6:00 P.M." Jake explained.

"That's where I work!" said Kathy.

"And her father, Hayden, too; you'll meet him later." said Colleen.

Then Jake looked around the lobby. "Hey Kathy, where's Maya at?"

Kathy shrugged. "I don't know, you know her; always out there doing crazy-"

Suddenly the front door of the Inn flew open. A girl with short orange hair that had little braids on the sides ran inside. She wore a short frilly pink dress with an apron tied around her. "Daddy! Daddy! I've got some important-" she cut herself off as she stared at me with her big blue eyes.

"Hi! You must be the new girl in town! I'm Maya!" she squealed.

I waved at her and smiled. 'Wow, hyper much.'

Jake shook his head. "Maya, what were you trying to say just a second ago?"

She tapped her chin as she pondered and then gasped dramatically. "Oh I forgot! The mayor wants to see you outside, Ayame."

I looked at her confusingly. "Me?"

She nodded furiously. "Yeah, he needs to talk about your housing stuff and how he wanted to meet you right as soon as you woke up."

"Oh okay. Well I guess I'll see you all later. It was nice meeting all of you." I said as I made my way to the door.

Yolanda smiled. "You too, Dearie."

"Don't be a stranger; just stop on by for lunch." Colleen insisted.

Kathy gave me a wink. "And if you get bored before going to bed, you should stop in at our bar to see me!"

I smiled back at all of them. "Thank you, I'll be sure to remember that."

We all said our 'good byes' and then I finally stepped outside of the Inn.

"Wow." I awed quietly, staring at the new town I was going to be living in. It was a cute little town with shops all over the area. It looked like the kind of town that everyone knew everyone. Not one noisy car or angry pedestrian was around. All I could hear was the ocean and I could feel the nice calm breeze blow against my face.

'This place is perfect.'

"Miss Ayame!" a voice yelled, catching my attention.

I looked to my right to see a short plump man with gray hair running down the hill. He stopped beside me, heavily panting.

"Um...are you okay?" I asked the man.

He was able to give out a small chuckle. "Yes Miss, I'm just a little exhausted, but I'll live." Then he looked up at me. "You must be our new resident."

He straightened himself up when he finally caught his breath. "So you've decided to move to beautiful Waffle Town on Waffle Island. Is that correct?"

'Wow, he bounces back quick. What an odd man.' Despite my thought, I nodded my head in reply to his question.

"Splendid! Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Mayor Hamilton. And welcome to Waffle Town!" he announced as he gestured to the houses and atmosphere behind him.

My breath caught in my throat. 'Crap! This guy is the mayor?! Wow, good thing I didn't say that out loud before. I don't want to be kicked off the island before I even move in.'

"The residents are very grateful that you've decided to move here. We've been waiting for a young person, such as yourself, to move to our lovely island and bless us with your grace."

I nodded awkwardly. "Uh...thank you."

"So tell me Miss Ayame, why did you decide to move here?" he asked me with a smile.

I rested my hands on my waist. "Well, I've lived in the city for most of my life and I felt like I needed to get away from all that noisy place. So I found the island brochure and decided to move out here." I glanced around the town. "And I'd have to say, this place is just what I needed. Also I wanted to try to start a small farm out here too."

"Well you've picked the right place for that. Waffle Island is the perfect place for a farm and to start the adventure of a lifetime!"

My eyebrows rose at his comment. 'Well he sure likes to make a **_big_ **impression.'

"Now then, we have a house that's ready for you but we've got a few finishing touches to make it, so why don't you go and explore the island. It could give you a good chance to meet the residents here."

I nodded. "Okay, I can do that."

"Good. Well then, I'll see you later. Good day to you Miss Ayame." said Mayor Hamilton as he waved and then walked away.

"Oh yeah, thanks Mayor Hamilton." I called to him.

As soon as he was out of view I sighed heavily.

"Sheesh...what an...odd guy. Oh well, it beats the crazy nutcases back home."

Then I took a glance at all of my surroundings. "So many places to go...but where to begin?"

I had a path on the right that went past a few houses, a path in front of me that went straight ahead to the beach, a path that led up the hill where the mayor came from, and then a set of stairs on my left behind the Sundae Inn that led up another hill.

'So many choices...so what's my strategy?' I pondered for a second and then came up with a plan. 'Ha! I'll just go old school for this.'

I pointed to on of the paths. "Eenie, meanie, miney, mo! Catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers let him go! Eenie, meanie, miney, mo!" I shouted as my finger landed on the stairs that went up the hill. "Bingo!"

I didn't really care who heard me, they can all think I'm crazy for all I care. That's just how I am.

I ran up the stairs to come upon a giant building that had a sign saying 'Town Hall'. It looked really nice and prestigious compared to the Town Hall where I lived. Next to it stood a very tall clock tower. 'Now that's something that you don't see everyday. Cool!'

Then next to the clock tower was a very large tree that stood on a cliff. 'Hmm I wonder what the view is like up there?' I thought as I ran up to the tree. The tree had to tower at least 25 feet above my head. This tree had to be bigger than the one in the city park. I looked out past the tree at the ocean that went on for miles and miles into the horizon. It was an amazing view.

"Hmm...maybe I did make the right decision to move here." I whispered to myself.

"You there!" a voice boomed.

I spun around and saw a tall young man standing in front of Town Hall.

I pointed to myself. "Me?"

I could hear him sigh. "Yes, you. Come here!"

'Forceful much?'

"Well you could have asked nicely!" I shouted back as I walked over to him.

He had short blonde hair with a strand flipped up at the top of his head and had icy blue eyes that felt like they could pierce right through my soul. He wore a blue sweater vest and green and black stripped pants that cut off halfway down his legs.

He raised an eyebrow and flipped his short bangs out of his eyes as he scanned me from head to toe. "Hmm...I don't think I've seen you before."

"Oh, I'm new here; I just moved here today actually."

"Hmmm...oh yes my father mentioned you. He said that a new resident was to arrive this week."

I stared back at him. "Yeah, I'm her."

We stood there silently staring at each other.

He finally broke the silence. "So, do you have a name? Or are you just going to be known as 'the new girl'?"

I cocked a brow at him. "Ayame."

"Ayame." he tested. "Interesting name."

"And you are?"

He cleared his throat. "I'm Gill Hamilton."

My face contorted in confusion. "Hamilton? You mean like the mayor of the island?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes of course. I'm his son."

'The mayor has a son? His father seemed so nice and friendly...but compared to this guy, this guy just seems cold. Maybe all he needs is a nice little greeting.'

"Well then it's nice to meet you, Gill." I said politely as I put my hand out for him to shake it.

He glanced at it. "Mmm...yes charmed." he said as he merely shook it.

I drew my hand back slowly. 'Okay…I can tell this guy is not a fan of me already.'

"So let me guess, you saw the brochure." he said dully.

I smiled and nodded my head. "You bet."

He scoffed. "That piece of junk. It was made twenty years ago. The town has changed a lot since then. It's looking pretty bad now since then too. Why would you believe some old boring brochure?" he said as he began walking towards Town Hall.

"Well, _that 'boring brochure'_ brought me here."

"I'm sure it did."

I chased after him. "_**Excuse me?**_ What did I do to you? I can already tell that you don't like me."

He turned around and shrugged. "I didn't say that I didn't like you."

"Well, if you do like me you have a strange way of showing it."

"Well I didn't say that I liked you either."

I raised an eyebrow. "Gee thanks. I can_** totally**_ tell that you're going to be a _**big**_ fan of me. If you're the mayor's son, shouldn't you be a little more appreciative and respectful to the new residents." I asked sarcastically.

He walked up to me. "I am appreciative and respectful to the new residents. It's just…" he paused, looking me up and down. "We haven't had any city people come here lately. And I can tell that you're one of _**those**_ city girls."

"And what's wrong with city girls?"

"They come here with exciting dreams to live on a farm and then they end up moving within the week because it was _**too hard**_ for them."

I raised a brow. "Well I can tell you now, I'm not like them. I'm really strong and I can handle everything myself. So I don't need you judging me like I'm some disease coming to the island like that."

He looked at me again and then sighed. "Okay, fine. I apologize for my rudeness, are you happy?"

I crossed my arms. "I guess…but I'm not accepting it fully."

"Half of forgiveness is better than nothing." he said as he began walking again to Town Hall once again.

"So why exactly is the Mayor's son so concerned about the town? You sound like you're the Mayor already."

He faced me again and then he looked out towards the ocean. "This place was once the greatest island in the ocean. But now the island has changed so much, we hardly get any people to live here anymore. When I become Mayor someday, I swear I'll make this place look better than before. I'll try to outdo what my father has done."

I cocked an eyebrow and put my hands on my waist. "**_Really? You're going to be the Mayor?_**"

He rolled his ice cold blue eyes at me. "Yes **_really_**. Why wouldn't I? I'm the most intelligent gentleman on the island. I'd make a magnificent mayor."

"Yeah, if you're the pompous rich boy type." I replied with a smirk.

Gill gasped. "How dare you! I'll have you know I'm not some pompous rich boy. I am an intelligent and diligent worker and I."

I turned around, laughing softly as I walked away. "Whatever Mr. Pompous, you keep telling yourself that, but no matter how much you say that, it only deepens the fact even more."

Gill gasped again. "Why you...humph!" he yelled and stormed off.

I laughed louder as I walked away. 'What a rude and arrogant guy. Ha! Looks like I'm gonna have to get used to that guy around here.'

For the next half hour I took a walk around the small town. I had met a couple who ran the General Store, who welcomed me to the island with a nice warm greeting. Then I met the town doctor, Jin, and his grandmother, Irene. They were also very nice to me and even gave me a few strict tips on how to stay healthy. I could get used to all of the friendly townsfolk around here.

After I left the clinic I made my way towards the path that led up past the Sundae Inn and up a very steep hill.

When I reached the top I saw a little farm sitting on the right and another path that led to a shop on the left. Deciding on which way to go, I decided to take the path towards the shop.

The shop looked old and rustic with a sign on the top saying 'Blacksmiths'.

'Wow, I guess they make their own products around here. They must make their own products right here.'

Right next to the shop was an entrance to a mine. I'd definitely have to check that out sometime, it could be fun.

**CLANK!**

'What was that?'

**CLANK!**

I walked around to the other side of the blacksmith's to find a big muscular guy smashing rocks with a hammer.

I stood behind him and watched in amazement.

One by one each rock was smashed into a thousand pieces. 'This guy was definitely strong.'

Then the guy set down his hammer and turned around, slightly jumping in surprise when he saw me. "Whoa! I didn't know anyone was behind me."

He was big and extremely muscular; I mean it. He had spiky orange hair and soft green eyes. He wore a black muscle shirt with the sleeves cut off so his big biceps could. 'Man this guy is ripped!'

"I-I'm sorry. I was just watching you smash all of those rocks. You're good."

He smiled. "Why thank you. I'm Owen." he said as he thrust out a gloved hand.

I shook it. "I'm Ayame. I'm new here."

"Oh so you're the new girl everyone's talking about. Nice to finally meet you." he said as he dropped my hand and looked at me. "Wow I don't mean to offend you or anything, but you're really skinny. No offense."

"None taken." I replied. "I've been known to be really skinny where I'm from."

He laughed. "Well maybe this will help you get some muscles." he said as he pulled out a huge hammer out from behind a pile of rocks. "You can have it, I've got plenty of hammers in the shop."

"Wow thanks." I said, taking the hammer from him.

"You're welcome. After you're used to using it maybe you can come mining with me in the Ganache Mines sometime."

"Sounds good to me." I replied as I put it into my rucksack.

"Great, oh I'd better get back to work or my uncle will kill me. I'll talk to you later okay?"

"Yeah, see ya."

With that Owen ran into the Blacksmith's.

'Well he seemed nice. Having him for a friend could be pretty awesome. I bet my friends wouldn't believe me when I said I met a guy with big muscles.' I laughed at the thought and made my way to another little shop a few feet away.

It was a Carpentry.

I went up to the front door and went inside.

A big man with bluish hair and a beard to match stood at the counter. "Oh hello there, you must be Ayame. The mayor mentioned that you arrived earlier. Welcome to my carpentry shop. I'm Dale."

I smiled. "It's nice to meet you Dale."

"Hey, you haven't by any chance seen a boy with blue hair have you?"

"Um...no."

'Blue hair? I've never seen anyone with blue hair; well maybe except for Dale...but blue hair wasn't really natural.'

Suddenly he gave me an angry expression. "Well if you do, tell him to get his butt back here." he said angrily.

I winced a little. 'Okay...that freaked me out a little.'

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. You see, he's my son and he has the habit of putting off his chores. If you see him can you tell him to come back here?" he asked calmly.

"Sure, I'll keep an eye open. It was nice meeting you." I said as I went back outside.

"You too, see ya."

I closed the door behind me and let out of sigh. "Wow that was strange."

**BOOM!**

"Whoo! Adrenaline rush!" I heard someone yell.

I looked behind the shop and saw a big fenced in area on a hill. 'Wonder what's going on up there?' I thought as I walked up to the area.

It was a large fenced-in area with tall trees and giant boulders scattered all around the place. Near the entrance stood a small boy with sandy blonde hair and a white cloth tied around his head. He looked to be around my age.

As I grew closer he glanced over at me with soft green eyes and smiled. "Oh hi!"

I walked up to him and smiled back. "Hi."

He put out his hand. "I haven't seen you before. My name is Bo."

I shook his hand. "I'm Ayame."

"Nice to meet you. I'm an apprentice carpenter for Dale."

"Oh that's cool. Dale seems like a very strict boss."

"I'm guessing you met Dale already."

I nodded my head in reply. "He seemed a little angry about his son."

Bo sighed. "Let me guess he wants Luke to come home and do his chores, right?"

"Y-yeah he said his son. But who's Luke?"

Bo pursed his lips and pointed by the boulders. "That's...Luke."

There stood a tall figure with an ax. "HIA-YAHH!" he yelled as he swung the ax downward chopping a stump with excessive force.

**KABOOM!**

The stump exploded into a million pieces.

'Holy crap! What is it with the strong people around here?'

The the guy wiped his forehead and smiled as he stepped into the sunlight.

My mouth dropped.

He had messy dark blue hair with a fiery orange bandanna tied around his head. He had wild amber eyes that matched his vest. He also wore a white muscle shirt and jeans with holes through them. He kicked his brown hiking boots and brushed the sawdust off of his gloves.

"Wow." I awed.

"Yeah, he's a very skilled carpenter, but don't try to ever challenge him, you'll probably kill yourself." Bo explained.

Then Luke looked over at us and smiled a big white grin as he ran over. "Hey Bo did you see that? What should I call that move? The Quadra Chop or Ultra Mega Splitter?" he asked excitedly.

Bo shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know Luke. They both sound good."

Then Luke glanced at me. "Hey must be the new girl. The name's Luke, the legendary carpenter of Waffle Island and the leader of the Luke fan club." he said happily.

Bo looked stupidly at Luke. "Luke...there is no fan club for you."

Luke glowered at him. "Well there will be. Would you join it, Ayame?" he asked hopefully.

I smiled. "Uh sure."

Luke jumped into the air. "Yes!"

Well I could definitely tell that this guy was going to be a fun person to be around.

"So where are you from Ayame?" Luke asked.

"I'm from the city area right off the coast from here."

"A city girl? Wow, we haven't had someone from the city in a long time come here. That's so cool."

I smiled. "Well, you're the first person to say that it's cool that I'm from the city. Some guy was angry that I'm from the city. The Mayor's son…Gill I think his name was."

Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh you met Sissy Prissy Boy already."

I let out a snort. 'Well the nickname seems to fit him.'

I smirked. "I take it that you don't like him."

"Ha! He doesn't just 'not like him', he _**hates**_ him." Bo emphasized.

Luke shrugged. "Hey, the dude is so full of himself and all he thinks about is becoming the next mayor of the island. He's nothing like his dad."

"Oh that reminds me, your dad told me that he wants you home, **_now_**." I said seriously.

Luke's face dropped.

"Oh boy, you're in trouble now Luke." Bo said tauntingly.

"Shut up Bo." Luke yelled.

I giggled. "You guys must be great buddies, I can tell."

Luke smiled. "You think so? Well actually we're cousins and we've been best friends for years too." Then he rubbed his chin. "You know, we could add you to our group. You seem really awesome."

"I **_seem_** awesome? I _**am**_ awesome." I laughed, pointing to myself.

Luke and Bo laughed.

"You're alright." Luke said as he came over to me and put his arm around my shoulders. I could smell the sweat and sawdust radiating off of him as he pulled me closer to him. "You know, we should hang out sometime. We can go to the beach or we could go pig out at the Sundae Inn. There's so much to do around here. You'll have tons of fun."

I smiled. "Yeah, you bet. I can't wait to start exploring the island more."

He matched my smile. "Great!"

Then I looked down at my watch; it was almost seven. I still have to go meet up with the mayor about my house. I don't wanna have to sleep outside on the first night.

"Well I guess I'd better go. I've got to see the mayor about my house and I don't think I want to be around when your dad comes outside to get you." I said as I started walking away.

Luke sighed as I pulled away from him. "Yeah, it's better to run right now. He's raging angry."

Bo laughed. "Yeah, he's like a raging bull."

I laughed, picturing Dale like a bull. "Nice! Well, it was nice meeting you guys."

"It was nice meeting you too." said Bo.

"Yeah, I hope we'll get to hang out later." Luke said as he grinned.

I smiled back at them and started to walk away. "You bet! See ya!"

"Bye!" I heard them yell.

I walked back into town with a smile on my face. 'Looks like I've made some more new friends; I can definitely see myself hanging with those guys.'

As I neared town I saw Mayor Hamilton standing in the square.

"Ah, there you are Miss Ayame. Have you met everyone in the village?"

I nodded my head. "I've met some of the village but I can meet the rest later. Everyone has been so nice to me. I think I'm really going to love it here." I responded happily.

"That's good to hear; we're always very welcoming to our new residents. By the way, I've got some great news; your house if finally finished!" he announced.

My mouth dropped and my eyes widened. "No way! It's finished?" I said excitedly.

"Yes indeed, now if you'll just follow me, I'll show you where you'll be living."

Hamilton led me towards an area with a large grassy field behind the town.

"This is the Carmel Falls District. It's an open area for new houses to be built. You can build barns and other buildings in this area if you want, but you'll have to buy the land first." He laughed.

"I'll keep that in mind." I giggled. 'Guess I'll have to start saving up for that.'

"Oh that reminds me, did you meet my son, Gill?"

My face twisted slightly. "Y-yeah…I did."

Hamilton looked over at me. "Did he act rude to you at all?"

I didn't really want to rat him out like that. Especially when his dad was the man was the Mayor of where I was living now.

I rubbed the back of my neck, nervously. "Well…he did come off…a little different than most people did when they met me."

Hamilton sighed. "I apologize for my son's behavior; he's not much of a people person. He wants to be the Mayor after me and he's really good at organizing things, but it's just his people and conversation skills that are lacking."

I looked at him confusingly. "Really?"

"Oh, yes he may come off a little rude, but he's actually really nice when you get to know him. He just needs to find some friends. I'm afraid to say that nobody likes to warm up to him anymore. Gill doesn't really mind that he doesn't have anyone to talk to; it's just like I'm worried about him. It's like he's an outsider to the village; his own people."

I looked at him sadly. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear about that."

'Maybe I should have never been so sarcastic and mean to him like that.'

"Maybe you could try to get to know him sometime. He could use someone to talk to."

I smiled softly. "Yeah, I'll try to talk to him."

'If he's not gonna be such a jerk to me.'

Mayor Hamilton led me across a bridge to a small area with a little house out on a little island by the ocean.

"That's your house." Hamilton announced.

I smiled and ran to the house. It was a little white house with a red roof.

Hamilton handed me a small key and gestured to the door. "Go ahead and take a look inside."

I unlocked the door, opening it to the small humble abode. Inside there was a little bed in the corner by the window with a little bedside table sitting next to it. Adjacent to that was a small kitchen with a stove, a refrigerator, and a long counter that people could sit at. There was also a very tall bookshelf, a door leading to a tiny bathroom, and a table with chairs. The house was bigger than my older room back home but maybe a bit smaller than the usual apartment I shared with my family. At least this time, I would be the only one living here.

"It's so cute!" I squealed.

"Do you like it?" Hamilton asked from behind me.

I turned around to face him. "Like it? I absolutely love it. Thank you Mayor Hamilton."

He smiled back. "Oh you're welcome. I put your luggage in here when you arrived. Everything is all in order for you."

"Thanks."

He looked up at the pink sky. "Well it's getting late and I'd better get home to my son. And you're probably tired from the excitement today. So I wish you goodnight. Good-bye." he said as he walked away.

"Bye and thank you again." I said and went into my house.

I put all of my clothes into the dresser and began situating all of my things. Putting my book collection on the bookshelves, setting up picture frames, and even stacking the refrigerator with my personal snacks that I brought along with me.

When I was finally finished I changed into my pj's and turned out all of the lights in the house except for the bedside lamp, that gave off a soft illumination that lit up the room. The bed felt so nice and warm as I slid into it slowly, taking in the softness of the sheets.

As I lay back against the pillows I giggled and sighed.

Today was probably one of the best days of my life.

I've met so many people today that I already like and I can already guarantee that I'll become really close with a few of them.

Kathy seems cool; maybe she'll be my best friend here.

There's that Owen guy, he seemed like a really nice guy; the sort of big teddy bear sort. I could see me hanging out with him.

Then there's Bo and Luke who are totally awesome; especially Luke. I can definitely tell that we are going to be great friends.

And then there's Gill…I'm not sure what to think of him. He acted like such a jerk towards me, but maybe there's more to him than what I might think. He actually might be nice in some weird way. Maybe I'll try talking to him sometime.

Anyways, this is has all been the beginning of my adventure. And hopefully this adventure will get better and better every day that I live here. So far for my first day, I love this place. This is where my adventure is!

This is the start of my new life on Waffle Island.

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><p><strong><span>Well how was that? A good start? I hope so. I hoped you all liked it. Please review and message me with any thoughts, concerns, ideas. I love them all! Thanks everyone!<span>**


	2. Meeting the Town

**Hey everyone! Well I hoped that you all liked chapter one of my story. I'm glad to be finally putting this story on here. I'm hoping this story will be even better than my other stories. Thanks to everyone who reviewed this story. I hope you all like this chapter. Please review and message me. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry**

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><p>I awoke the next morning to the sound of chirping birds. A new day in Waffle Island; another day for an adventure.<p>

I smiled and ran to my dresser to get my outfit for the day. I changed into an orange shirt and put on a short-sleeved green jacket on and zipped it up. I also grabbed a pair of jean shorts and pulled on my hiking boots.

Suddenly there was a knock at my door. I went over and opened the door to find an overexcited Luke. He smiled a huge grin.

"Hey Ayame!" he said excitedly.

"Hey Luke what's up?"

"Oh nothing much. Um...I was wondering...if I could take you around the town and introduce you to everyone you haven't met yet." he asked nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sure I'd love to."

He dropped his arm and his face beamed. "Great come on!" he said excitedly and pulled me out of my house and then he pulled me back into town.

I giggled at Luke's enthusiasm. He was so hyper.

He pulled me to a small shop next to the Meringue Clinic. It was a tailor shop. He opened the door and pulled me inside.

A little girl with pink hair stared at us as we entered. She had flowers all through her hair and she wore a tiny pink dress. She was also carrying a brown stuffed bunny with a bonnet. She looked so cute!

"Oh hi Luke!" she said with a cute little smile.

Luke smiled back. "Hey there Luna! I want you to meet Ayame. She's new here. And Ayame this is Luna."

I smiled and waved at her.

Suddenly the little girl glared at me. "Oh what's with that? Darling what's up with that hideous outfit? Green is so trashy on you." she said snobbishly.

I was shocked. 'Why did this cute little girl turn into a snobby brat? And I thought green looked great on me.' I thought as I looked down at my clothes.

"Luna, don't be so mean to the customers." a sweet little old lady said at the main counter. She smiled at me and motioned us to the counter. Luke and I walked over to her.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry for my granddaughter's rude remarks. She just loves to talk to the customers like that. I'm Shelly and it's nice to finally meet you Miss Ayame." she said cheerfully.

I smiled at her.

A girl with grayish-blue hair in long ponytails came out from the backroom. She was wearing a blue sweater and a long blue and green plaid skirt. She looked at me with her blue eyes and hid in the doorway.

"Candace, sweetie it's okay. This is Ayame, she's new here." said Shelly. The shy girl stepped out of the doorway.

"Um...hello. I'm Candace." she stuttered.

"Oh come on Candace, you can do better than that." a voice said from the backroom.

Out came a guy with purple hair with blonde streaks. He wore a red coat with pink ruffles all over and had tan pants. He smiled and winked one of his eyes at me. "Why, hello there."

'O-kay? What's up with the cross dresser?' I thought strangely.

"Hey Julius! This is Ayame; she's the new resident here. Ayame, this is Julius." said Luke.

Julius waved his fingers at me. "Hello darling."

"Julius, tell her green looks horrible on her." Luna whined.

"To tell you the truth, she looks nice in green." he replied.

I smiled. Well at least someone thinks I look good.

"But she'd look better in blue." he said happily.

My face fell. "Thanks." I said sarcastically.

"Just trying to help. I am the fashion expert." Julius replied with a smile.

"No you're not! I'm the fashion expert!" Luna yelled.

"No you're too young to be a fashion expert."

"I'm only three years younger than you!"  
>My eyebrows flew up. How old is this kid?<p>

"Would you two stop arguing, honestly?" Sophie said to them.

"But Grandma, he started it." Luna whined.

"No, I didn't. You're just trying to show off." Julius rebutted.

I felt bad for poor little Candace. She just stood there watching Luna and Julius fight in the corner while Luke and I just stood there awkwardly.

I slipped past the two arguing fashion experts and made my way over to her. "Hi Candace, it's nice to meet you."

She smiled softly. "H-hi…it's nice to meet you too."

I smiled back. She was so sweet and adorable. I could definitely tell that we were going to be great friends. Then I looked at Luna; she is definitely not going to be a fan of me while I'm here. I can tell she already hates me.

"So are you the fashion expert here?"

She stared at me with her foggy blue eyes. "W-well…I wouldn't want to brag or be a bother…I-I'm one of the head seamstresses."

"Wow, that's amazing. You don't have to brag at all."  
>She smiled and looked at her shoes. "T-thank you."<p>

Luke cleared his throat, causing me to look towards him. "Well we'd better go. We've got a lot of people to see still."

I smiled at all of them and walked back over to Luke. "It was nice meeting you all. I promise to come by if I need a new outfit."

Shelly smiled. "You've got it dearie. Have a good day."

"Bye!" they all said.

"Bye!" Luke and I called as we walked out of the shop.

After I closed the door I turned to Luke. "Okay where to next?"

Luke smiled and pulled me up the hill to the Gananche Mine District. "We've got to go see my best friend. You'll like him. He's like a big teddy bear."

He led me over to the Blacksmith's and ran to the door. He knocked and we were greeted by a familiar face that I've already met.

It was the big muscular blacksmith, Owen.

"Hey Luke! What's up?" he said.

"Not much Owen." Luke replied.

Owen glanced down at me and smiled. "Hey Ayame! Nice to see you again. So is Luke taking you around the town?"

I smiled at him. "Yep, he's helping me meet everyone."

"That's good to hear." he said.

"Hey Owen, who's at the door?" a tiny voice asked from behind Owen.

Owen moved aside and behind him stood a tiny girl with an orange ponytail at the top of her head.

"Oh, this is Ayame; she's new here." Owen said to the girl.

She looked up at me with her blue eyes and smiled. "Hi! I'm Chloe. An excellent miner and when I grow up I'll be a pirate." she squealed.

I giggled at her enthusiasm.

"Chloe's my little cousin. She's my assistant when I work in the mines. Please come in." said Owen as he led us inside.

"Owen is there a customer here?" an old man asked from behind the counter.

"Yeah, this is Ayame. She's the new girl here." Owen replied and looked at me. "Ayame, this is my great-uncle Ramsey."

Ramsey looked over at me. "Hello there. So you're the new girl."

I nodded. "Yes sir."

"Well I've got to work to do. So good day to you." he said dully and went back to work.

Owen rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about my uncle. He's very dedicated to his work. He's not much of a talker when it comes to stuff outside of work."

I giggled. "He's fine."

"Hey, do you mind if I come with you guys? Business is kind of slow today."

"Me too!" piped Chloe.

"Sure the more the merrier." said Luke.

With that we all left the shop and headed over to a small farm on the other side of the District.

"This is Soufflé Farm. They sell seeds here for your crops." Luke explained.

Owen looked over at a crop field next to us. "And there's one of the owners. Also she's one of our friends." he added as he pointed to a girl hunched over in the field.

We all walked over to here and stood behind the fence.

"Hey Anissa, we want you to meet Ayame." said Luke.

The girl stood up straight and smiled.

I gasped.

She had long dark hair and pretty brown eyes. She wore a light blue blouse and a long flowered dress with a white apron. She looked like a china doll.

"Hello, I've heard all about you, Ayame. My name is Anissa." she said softly.

I smiled at her. "It's nice to meet you too." I said.

"So Anissa, where's your grumpy old parents?" Luke asked.

"Luke! Be nice!" Owen scolded.

"Oh they left the island this morning to visit my brother. He's in the city with my family so my parents went to see him. I decided to stay home and tend to the farm." she replied.

"Oh, well do you need any help here? I'll give you a hand with your farm work." Owen asked.

"Me too!" said Chloe.

"I'll help." I volunteered.

"Same here!" piped Luke.

Anissa smiled. "Sure you can help me water the crops. I'll go get some watering cans." she said as she ran over to a shed.

She came back with four tin watering cans. We each grabbed one and filled them up with water.

"Just make sure not to water them too much. We don't want them to drown." she explained.

Then we all ran all over the field watering each plant and making sure every plant was watered.

"Hey Ayame, this is kind of practice for you since you're going to be a rancher. Anissa is teaching you how to water plants."

I sighed. "I know how to water plants Luke. A little kid could do this."

After we were done we helped Anissa put everything back in the shed.

"Thank you guys. I appreciate your help." Anissa thanked.

"You're welcome." we all said.

"Well I'd better clean up the shop inside. My parents haven't cleaned it in awhile. Maybe I'll see you later, Ayame."

I smiled. "Yeah, I'll see you later."

"Well we've got lots to show Ayame still. We'll see you later Anissa." said Luke.

"Okay, bye." said Anissa.

We waved good-bye and headed down the hill into town.

"Owen can you carry me?" Chloe asked her cousin.

"Sure." Owen replied as he bent down.

Chloe climbed onto his back and clung to his neck.

I smiled. She was so cute!

Owen smiled and continued walking.

"Okay so where to next?" Luke asked.

"I'm not sure. Owen?" I said and looked at Owen.

"Not sure. Chloe?" he asked as he looked behind to his little cousin.

"Um...how about the Sundae Inn? I'm hungry for some of Yolanda's cooking."

"Yeah me too." piped Luke.

"Okay. The Sundae Inn it is." I concluded.

We all walked into the Sundae Inn and were greeted by Colleen.

"Hello kids. How's it going?" she asked.

"Fine." we all replied.

"Well that's good. I bet you're all very hungry."

We all nodded our heads and smiled.

"Great. Yolanda is cooking lunch right now. She's also got her apprentice helping her. He just came in on the boat this morning."

"No way! Chase?" Luke yelled.

"Chase came back?" said Owen.

"Yes, he wanted to come back so he could train with Yolanda. I'll show you kids to a table." she explained as she showed us to a small table next to the kitchen.

We all sat down together. Chloe sat across from me with Owen and Luke sat next to me. Colleen handed us each menus and headed into the kitchen.

"Hmm...should I get the omelet rice or the banana pudding? What do you think Ayame?" Luke asked me.

"I'd go with both." I replied.

He smiled in reply.

"Let me guess you want the usual today?" a voice asked.

We all looked behind us and saw a boy with messy orange hair and blue eyes standing in the kitchen door. He had a long dark blue apron and he wore flip flops.

"Chase!" Luke, Owen, and Chloe said together.

He walked over to our table and smiled. "Hey guys, how's it going?"

"Not much." Luke replied.

"What about you Chase?" Owen asked.

"Oh, I thought that I should come back for some more training with Yolanda. Plus I missed everyone." Then he averted his eyes to me. "Who's this?"

"Chase this is Ayame. She just moved here." said Luke.

"Oh hello. Name's Chase. Nice to meet you." Chase greeted.

"It's nice to meet you too. I replied.

"So what do you guys want?" Chase asked.

We all gave our orders to him and he went back inside of the kitchen.

"So Ayame, where are you from?" Owen asked.

"The city."

"Was it cool there?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, but it was too busy and too loud. I wanted to have an adventure somewhere else. So I decided to come here." I explained.

"Well it's a good thing you came here. You were just what all of us needed." Luke said happily as he put his hand on my shoulder.

I smiled. Well it's good to know that I have people who want me here.

"Can I get you anything else?" I heard Colleen say from across the room catching my attention.

"No, thank you. But I'd like some more tomato juice, please." a dull voice answered her.

I looked over at a table in the corner that was covered in a mess of paperwork. Colleen turned around and walked away to reveal the person sitting at the table. It was the rude pompous guy again.

He looked at the papers and started writing on them. A glass of red liquid sat next to his left arm. What was he doing?

"Hey Sissy Prissy Boy!" Luke yelled.

Gill slightly jumped and scowled at us. I saw out of the corner of my eye that Luke had gotten up from his seat and walked over to Gill's table.

I got up and followed him. Either Luke was just going to say 'hi' or he was going to bother him. I could tell that this wasn't going to end well.

As I walked over there I began to remember what Mayor Hamilton told me yesterday. Gill had no friends and he was like an outsider. Maybe I should try to be nice to him.

Gill frowned and raised eyebrow at me. "Well if it isn't the girl who called me a pompous yesterday." he said sarcastically.

I rubbed the back of my neck and grinned sheepishly. "Oh, I'm sorry for saying that when we first met. I shouldn't have been so sarcastic with you like that."

Gill was taken back a little but kept sneering. Looks like I affected him a little.

"Well it_**is**_ true. You are a pompous, Sissy Prissy Boy." said Luke.

He glared at Luke. "At least I'm not the guy who put a bucket of water above the main doors of Town Hall this morning. Thanks for the second shower." replied sarcastically.

I could tell that Gill's clothes were a little damp.

Luke smiled. "Did I do that?" Luke said in an innocent voice.

Gill's grip on his pen tightened.

"Sorry Sissy Prissy Boy, it won't happen again. Scout's honor." Luke said as he tried to salute him, but when he lifted his arm his red liquid to spill all over his papers.

Gill's eyes widened and shot an angry glare at Luke.

Luke rubbed the back of his neck and looked over his shoulder. "Oh look my food is ready. So I'm just gonna...yeah." he said and ran back to our table.

Gill huffed and tried to clean up the red covered papers. I grabbed a bunch of napkins and tried to help him clean up the mess.

Gill slightly glanced at me. "Thanks." he mumbled.

"You're welcome."

I glanced down at the papers. They were various bills, maps, blueprints, and building permits. They all had Waffle Island written on them. "So what's up with all of these bills and stuff?" I asked.

He looked up at me. "Like I said yesterday, when I become the mayor I will make big changes to this place. I'm trying to show my father that I can do this." he explained.

"Sounds like you're determined. That's great." I replied.

He met my eyes and stared at me. "Yeah well, I am the mayor's son. And I want to be just like him."

I smiled at him. "That's really nice to want to be like your father."

He looked up at me. "So why are you suddenly being so nice to me now? According to yesterday you weren't all that friendly with me."

I shrugged. "Well, I feel bad for being a little disrespectful and I'm hoping to start off with a fresh start with you."

He stared again and opened his mouth to say something.

"Hey Ayame, your food is getting cold over here." Luke called.

I looked over my shoulder. "Okay I'm coming." I replied and turned back to Gill. "Well I guess I got to go. See ya."

"Yeah, see ya. And um...thanks." he murmured as he tried to clean up his papers.

I shrugged my shoulders and went back to my table. "Very nice Luke." I said sarcastically as I sat down.

"What? It was an accident." he said.

"You could've apologized to him." I added.

Luke groaned.

Owen shook his head. "Luke and Gill have fought for years. If Gill insulted Luke, then Luke would play a prank on him. It's not like it's a new thing. Luke will never apologize to him."

Then he looked over at Gill. "So what did Gill say to you this time, Luke?" he explained and looked at Luke.

Luke stabbed his omelet and shoved it into his mouth. He said something in a muffled voice as he chewed his food.

"We can't understand you." I said.

Luke swallowed. "I said he called me an unworthy lunatic who will never get a girl." he repeated.

Owen sighed. "Aw, don't listen to him, Luke. And try not to take your pranks too far." he warned.

"Yeah and besides any girl would want to date you, you're one of the coolest people on the island." said Chloe.

Luke smiled and started stuffing his food down.

We all rolled our eyes and laughed. Then we all started eating.

I guess Waffle Island is a whole lot different from the city. I've made some new friends here and I'm happy. I can't wait to find out what happens in my life next.

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><p><strong><span>Well how was that? I hoped you all enjoyed it. Please review and message me. Thanks everyone! <span>**


	3. A Day at the Beach

**Hey everyone! Here's chapter three now. I hope you all like this story. I know the first few chapters may be a little boring, but trust me. The more the story progresses, the better the story gets. Please review and message me. Enjoy!**

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><p>"Hey Ayame, can you hang out with me today? Everyone is at the beach today." Luke asked me at my door.<p>

I giggled. "Luke, that's the sixth time this week."

It was true. Luke and I have hung out every day since I came here. He'd show up at my front door every morning asking for me to come out and hang out with him.

We've cut down trees in the woods, mined through the Ganache Mines, walked around the town, and ate every meal at the Sundae Inn.

Luke and I have become great friends. And I was perfectly fine with that.

"Come on, Kathy and the others are waiting at the beach for us. Also the boat came this morning and lots of my old friends came on it. They're dying to meet you. Please!" he begged.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Okay, okay, keep your shirt on, I'm coming." I replied as I went back into my house.

"My shirt is on!" Luke shouted through the door.

I laughed as I pulled on my swimsuit. He is such a dork, but I love his humor.

After I put my clothes on over my swimsuit I grabbed my beach bag and I went back outside.

Luke smiled and started to walk to Cream Beach.

"I bet ya I can beat you to the beach." I challenged as I caught up to him.

"Pfft, I bet you'll fall in the dust after I get passed you."

"No I won't!" I yelled and ran ahead.

"Hey that's cheating!" he yelled and ran after me.

Luke ran beside me and put his arm out in front of me to push me back.

"Hey you're cheating!" I yelled.

"So? You cheated first!"

"No I didn't! You didn't even say 'go'!"

"Okay then, go."

"We'd have to stop to do that. I'm not stopping cause then you'd just keep running, cheater!"

"Stop calling me that!"

"Cheater, cheater, pumpkin eater!" he taunted.

Through all the running and fighting we got to Cream Beach.

Everyone stared at us as we neared them.

We both jumped off the edge of the sidewalk and lunged onto the sandy beach.

My face hit the sand at full force.

"What are you guys doing?" a voice asked.

I looked up and saw Kathy standing above us with her head cocked to the side.

I sat up. "Luke and I were racing."

Candace and Anissa stood beside Kathy. Kathy wore a red bikini that fit her perfectly. Anissa was wearing a purple two piece and Candace was wearing a dark blue bathing suit with a dress sewn onto the waist.

"Who won?" Anissa asked.

I looked over at Luke, who was laying face down in the sand. He stuck out his hand. "I did." he replied in a muffled voice.

"Um...actually I...th-think Ayame won." Candace stuttered.

I pumped my fist into the air. "Yes! In your face Luke! Or should I say that the sand got there first." I said and then laughed.

Then Luke sat up and started spitting out sand. We all started laughing at him.

His face was completely covered with sand. "It's not funny!"

"Oh yes it is. Not only did you lose to a girl, you also got a sand bath!" Kathy said and then laughed out loud.

Luke got up and started walking towards Kathy. "Oh yeah? Then how would you like a real bath in the ocean?" Luke threatened and started running after her.

Kathy shrieked and ran away.

We all started laughing at Luke who started chasing Kathy across the beach.

"Come on Ayame. There are some new people we'd like you to meet." said Anissa as she took my arm and led me to a group sitting down a little ways from us.

There were a few people I knew there. There was Julius, Luna, Maya, Chase, Owen, and Jin. But there were three new faces I haven't seen before.

There was a girl with light green hair that was curled at the bottom and she had ruby red glasses. Another was a boy with snow white hair and a huge lazy smile on his face. The third had long blondish hair and had a brown cowboy hat on.

They all smiled at me.

The green haired girl stood up and walked over to me. "Hi I'm Phoebe." she said and shook my hand.

The white hair boy waved at me. "What's up I'm Toby."

The guy with the cowboy hat smiled. "I'm Calvin."

"Hi, I'm Ayame. It's nice to meet you all." I said cheerfully.

"Ew! Seriously you need to get some better clothes. That outfit screams 'desperate'." Luna complained.

"Lu-Luna you shouldn't say that kind of stuff to Ayame." Candace stuttered.

"Whatever." Luna murmured.

This little girl was adorable but she has a big mouth.

"Okay now that we've met everyone can we please go swimming?" Julius complained.

We all nodded and changed into our swimsuits.

"Don't forget sunscreen!" Jin yelled at Chase, who was about to jump into the water.

"Oh come on!" Chase yelled.

"Dude you've got to listen to the doc!" I called to him.

Chase growled and stomped back over to us. We all quickly put on our sunscreen and ran into the water.

Candace, Anissa, and I stood in the shallow part while everyone else went out farther.

"LUKE I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" we heard Kathy yell.

We all turned around to see Kathy chasing Luke across the beach. Kathy was soaking wet and Luke was grinning huge.

Suddenly Owen grabbed Luke and threw him over his shoulder.

"Owen! Put me down!" Luke yelled.

"Nope. This is for Kathy." he said and walked over to the water.

"No! Owen, don't throw me in there!" Luke begged.

"Do it! Do it! Do it!" we all yelled together.

"Please Owen don't do it! Come on, I'm your best friend." Luke yelled.

"Hmmm. Well since you said 'please.'" Owen replied. Then he threw Luke into the water.

Luke screamed like a girl when he hit the water. Then he surfaced and spit out water.

Everyone burst out laughing.

He dragged himself onto the shore and glared at Owen. "Hey I thought we were friends, Owen."

"We are, it's just well…it's not polite to throw a girl into the water." he replied.

Luke rolled his eyes and groaned. "Whatever." he muttered.

I splashed Luke. "Lighten up Luke. Come on in, the water's great." I called to him.

Luke turned around and grinned evilly. "You shouldn't have done that." he said as he walked slowly into the water.

I squealed and swam away. Luke splashed me and I splashed him back.

Awhile after that everyone was splashing at each other.

This was the most fun I've had for awhile. It felt like everyone was here just to have a great time.

Suddenly I stopped splashing and looked around. But something felt like someone was missing; a certain grouchy blonde who I surprisingly have gotten used to over the last few days.

I looked at Kathy who was splashing Owen. "Hey Kathy, is everyone here? I feel like somebody isn't here."

She stopped splashing and looked at me. "Well everyone is here, except for Gill."

"Why not?"

"He said he was busy with his work. Plus he never really wants to do anything fun. He's always so boring." she explained.

I stared at her. He was the only one who wasn't here. It felt…weird without everyone here.

I looked at everyone and then I started to swim back to shore. When I reached shore I grabbed my towel and wrapped it around myself.

"Hey Ayame, where are you going?" Luke yelled to me.

"I'm going to get Gill." I replied.

Everyone stopped splashing and stared at me.

"What? Why are you going to get that boring old snob?" Luke yelled.

"Yeah, Gill is always such a stick in the mud." Chase agreed.

"I have to agree with Chase. He's such a buzz kill." said Kathy.

I sighed. "Because it's not really fun being stuck in an office all day. He needs a day off and I feel like everyone should be here for this day. I'll be right back." I explained and started running to Town Hall.

I ran up to the door of Town Hall and flung it open.

A girl standing behind the front counter jumped. She had very short brown hair and honey-brown eyes.

I walked up to her. "Oh I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." I apologized.

"Oh it's okay. You're Ayame, aren't you? I'm Elli." she said.  
>"It's nice to meet you. Do you know where I can find Gill?" I asked.<p>

She pointed to some stairs to my right. "He's in the library. He's always up there researching and studying." she replied.  
>I smiled at her. "Thanks." I replied and started climbing the stairs.<br>At the top of the stairs was a little library. There were tall bookshelves filled with books and little tables lined in the middle of the room.

At one of the tables was Gill. His back was toward me so I did the one thing that I loved to do. I quietly snuck up behind him and peeked around over his shoulder and saw a bunch of books pilled in front of him. He was reading a book about the history of Waffle Island.

Sheesh for a mayor's son, he sure loved to read.

Suddenly a drop of water fell off of a strand of my hair and plopped on the book.

Gill stopped reading and slowly turned around. He gave out a yelp and fell out of his chair.

I tried to stifle a laugh. That was so epic.

He glared at me. "Geeze woman, are you trying to kill me?" he grimaced.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Sorry." I replied.

Gill got up and brushed himself off. Then he raised an eyebrow at me. "May I ask why you are wearing a towel and why are you dripping wet? Don't tell me you just got out of the shower and decided to come say 'hi'." he groaned.

"No, I was at Cream Beach, swimming with the gang." I explained.

Gill sat back down in his chair and flipped through his book. "And you came here soaking wet, why?" he asked sarcastically.

"I want you to come swimming with us."

"No." he said plainly.

"What? Why not?"

"Because I have no time for childish games in the ocean."

"You sound like an old man. You're too young to act like an old man now."

"For your information I happen to be sixteen."

"Wow, that's how old I am. And look at me, I'm going to swim in the ocean and play 'childish games.'" I explained and emphasized on Gill's quote.

"Humph! Well I'm far too busy to come anyway. So sorry to disappoint you."  
>I didn't take 'no' for an answer, so I grabbed his arm and pulled him out of his chair.<p>

"What are you doing? Unhand me this instant!" Gill yelled.

"Oh 'unhand me', yeah that's the kind of quote someone from the 1800's would say. You need a break today" I said sarcastically as I pulled him downstairs.

Elli looked at us. "Is something wrong?"  
>I shook my head. "No, Gill is just having a break out at the beach with us."<p>

Gill looked at Elli. "Cancel all of my appointments for today."

"Okay, but you don't really have any appointments." Elli replied.

I snickered causing Gill to glare at me.

I pulled him outside. "Oh yeah, you're totally busy today. You haven't got any appointments at all. You need this break."

"No I do not. I have too much paperwork to do." he complained.

"Well too bad, you need today off. It's a beautiful day out." I explained.

I pulled him over to a huge house by the Sundae Inn and stopped. This huge mansion was Gill's.

I pointed at the door. "Go get your swimming gear."

Gill crossed his arms and looked away. "I refuse to."

"Fine then I will." I said as I opened the door and went inside.  
>Nobody on Waffle Island really locked their doors unless the shops closed or people were asleep.<br>"Hey get out of there!" I heard Gill yell.

I squealed and tried to run up the stairs. Gill ran up after me and tried to push me out of his way.

Before I reached the top Gill got pass me and blocked my way.

"Don't you dare go into my room." he said sternly.

I put my hands on my hips. "And why not?"

"Because...because nobody is allowed in my room." he answered.

"Well I'm not leaving until you get your swimming trunks on. So you'd better get comfortable with me staying here." I said plainly.

Gill stood there for awhile and then turned around. "All right, I'll be back in a few minutes." he said and went into his room.

I smiled and walked down the steps to wait in the living room. I sat on the big couch and stared at a bright flame inside of the fireplace. I got him to crack. I am good.

Why was he such a grouch all the time? Was that just like a default setting for him? Being a sour puss all day. That guy hasn't even cracked a smile since I've been here. I don't even think he can smile.

After a few minutes went by Gill came downstairs in a white t-shirt and red swimming trunks.

"There, now that wasn't so bad, now was it?" I said in a baby voice.

"Shut up. Can we go now?"

I leaned back on the couch and looked up at the high ceiling. "You've got a really nice place here. It's so big, much bigger than my house."

Gill blocked my view from the ceiling. It was kind of funny seeing Gill upside down. "It's one of the biggest houses on the island. It's also one of the fanciest houses too."

"Hmmm...interesting."

"Yeah, can we go now? I'm not missing work so we can talk about my house." he groaned.

I sat up and got off of the couch. Then we both walked outside and walked down to Cream Beach.

"So Gill, how come you have to be such a grouchy guy all the time?"

"I'm not grouchy."  
>"Really? Then why don't you ever smile?<br>He looked over at me. "Because I don't smile."

I gasped. "You don't smile?"

He shook his head. "I have no reason to so I don't."

I raised an eyebrow. "Dude, that's just not right."

He glared at me and continued the rest of our walk in silence.

As we neared Cream Beach I could see Candace and Anissa were sitting on their beach towels under an umbrella. Everybody else was in the water splashing each other and swimming around.

Luke looked up with a huge shock on his face. "Oh my gosh! Pompous boy came?" he yelled in astonishment.

Gill glared at him. "Shut up you idiotic jerk!"

Owen looked surprised. "Well I'll be; how did you get him out of his office, Ayame?"

"It was easy, I just dragged him here." I replied.

Luke walked up on shore and burst out laughing. "You got dragged by a girl? Wow I guess I'll have to call you 'Sissy Prissy Boy' for sure now." he said and continued to laugh.

Gill snarled. "You already call me that."

"Yeah, but I have a definite reason to do that now."

I got in-between them. "All right. Can you two try not to kill each other today? It's a beautiful day today and I don't want it to go to waste because you guys always start a fight."

The guys looked at each other.

"Fine." sighed Luke.

"Fine, as long as he stays away from me. I don't want any of his stupid to rub off on me." said Gill.

Luke clenched his fists. "Why I ada..." Luke began but Owen grabbed a hold of him.

"That's enough Luke." he said.

Then Luke unclenched his fists and calmed down.

"Hey are you guys coming in or not?" Kathy yelled from the water.

Luke said nothing more and ran into the water.

I looked back at Gill. "Come on Gill." I said and ran into the water.

Gill sighed as he pulled off his shirt and followed behind me.  
>Kathy had a beach ball in her hands. "You made it just in time for a game of volleyball."<p>

"Um Kathy...that's a beach ball and there's no net." said Owen.

"So? We'll just hit it back and forth then." she said and hit it over to Owen.

Owen hit it over to me and I spiked it over to Luke. Luke nearly jumped clear out of the water to hit it but he missed and Gill hit it instead.

"Hey foul! That's not fair!" Luke yelled.

"Yes it is, you were trying to show off but you failed and I hit it instead." Gill explained.

"That's it!" Luke yelled and tried to pounce on him.

But Owen grabbed him and pulled him back."Luke calm down!" he said sternly.

Gill waved his hand. "If I were you I'd get a leash for him. He's so hard to control."

Luke's eyes widened and tried to get out of Owen's grip. "Let me at him, I'll punch him so hard that..." he started but Kathy swam in-between them.

"Shut up! Both of you! Now Gill you'd better shut your trap about Luke. And Luke, don't make me hurt you if you punch Gill. This is supposed to be a fun day at the beach and you guys treat it like a grudge match. Now either the two of you stop it or so help me, I'll kick your butts into next week! You got it?" she yelled.

Both guys were scared out of their minds. Even I was scared of Kathy.

Luke and Gill timidly nodded their heads.

"Good, now come on, we've got a game to win." she said happily as she swam over to get the ball.

Everyone was still in shock over Kathy's explosion. Wow I didn't know that Kathy had it in her. She hit the ball over to us and we started playing again.

After awhile I got out of the water and sat on my towel.

Luke came over and sat next to me. He pulled his legs to his chest and sat his chin on his knees. "I should have punched him." he grumbled.

"If you did Kathy would have killed you." I replied.

"Yeah, but you heard what he said. Why did you have to bring him?" he groaned.

"It felt weird without him being here. I wanted to have everybody here. It was such a nice day and I felt that everyone should enjoy it together. Plus he spends his entire day in that office. Would you like to spend every day in an office?" I explained.

"I work every day except for Saturdays at the Carpentry. Plus doesn't he _**want**_to stay in that office all day?"

"Well yeah but...I thought he could use a break today." I replied.

Luke stared blankly out into the sea.

"Oh come on Luke don't get mad at me because I invited Gill." I said and playfully pushed him.

He looked up at me and smiled. Then he pushed me back. "Hey I couldn't be mad at my best friend."

I pushed him back and he pushed me.

After a bit we went back into the water with everyone else.

"Marco!" Julius yelled as he wadded around blindly.

"Polo!" everyone yelled back.

Julius was heading for us and we all swam away quickly, but Julius tapped Gill.

"I got someone!" he yelled and opened his eyes.

"Gill's it!" Owen yelled.

Gill huffed and closed his eyes. "Marco." he said boringly.

"Polo!" we yelled.

Gill waved his arms out in front to try to tap someone. "Marco." he repeated.

"Polo!" I yelled.

Then Gill started swimming over towards me. I giggled and swam away.

"Marco." he repeated with a slight enthusiasm.

"Polo." I said softly knowing he was right behind me.

"Marco." he said right behind me.

"Polo." I whispered.

Suddenly I felt a warm breath against my neck.

"Got you." Gill whispered and tapped me.

I turned around to find Gill right behind me.

I smiled. "You got me."

"Yep. Um...I wanted to say thanks. You know for giving me a break from work today. I guess you were right. This was actually quite entertaining. I can't remember the last time that I've ever done this."

"I know I was. You've just got to take a break once and awhile."

"Yeah, maybe I should."

His mouth looked like it was trying to pull into a smile.

I couldn't believe it, he was trying to smile.

"Maybe you ought to smile sometimes and maybe you need to stop talking like an old man from the 1800's." I said.

He stopped trying to smile and glared at me. "Don't push it." he said snobbishly as he swam away.

Okay, maybe I shouldn't have said that; me and my stupid mouth.  
>Then I smiled and shook my head. Oh well I should just try again some other time then.<p>

I felt like I accomplished something today. I helped a friend find his fun side and had a group get together to hang out.

And then just a second ago Gill almost smiled.

I have a goal now. I'll try to make Gill smile, no matter what.

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><p><strong><span>Well how was that? I hope it was good. I'll try to update soon. Please review and message me. Thanks everyone! <span>**


	4. The Flower Festival

**Hey everyone! Well here's chapter 4 now. Sorry it took awhile to get this typed up. I've been really busy with school lately. But hey, it's college, what are you gonna do about it? Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please review and message me, I really appreciate them. Enjoy! **

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><p>A couple of days went by after that day at the beach.<p>

I woke up at the crack of dawn and went over to my calendar.

Luke had mentioned something important that was supposed to be going on today. I'm hoping it's something fun.

It was the 10th of spring and there was something written in red under the date.

'Flower Festival'.

"Well I'm not sure what this festival is about…maybe it has to do something with flowers." I said sarcastically and then laughed at myself.

I quickly put on a white t-shirt, a short sleeved black jacket, and a pair of jean shorts, and slipped on a pair of hiking boots. I didn't know why I always wore them; I guess I thought they were lucky. Good stuff seemed to always happen when I wore them.

I walked outside and shut the door behind me. Then I breathed in the fresh morning air. I loved that morning smell.

As I started walking to the Waffle Town someone tapped me on the shoulder as I walked out of the Carmel Falls District. "Um excuse me." said a voice.

I turned around to find a girl with really short brown hair and chestnut brown eyes behind me. She was wearing a long yellow dress with a thin red plaid bottom on it.

"Oh hi." I greeted.

"Hi, um I'm kind of new here and I was wondering if you can help me find the flower festival?" she asked.

"Sure, I was just going there now. Come on. My name is Ayame." I said as we started walking into town.

"I'm Renee. It's nice to meet you." she said.

We finally reached the Waffle Town square to find everything covered in flowers.

"Wow it's beautiful." said Renee.

"Yeah." I replied.

Kathy ran up to us with a bouquet of daffodils. "Hey Ayame, glad you made it. Who's your friend?" she asked and looked at Renee.

"Hi, I'm Renee. I just moved here. My family owns Brownie Ranch up by Soufflé Farm." she replied.

"Oh so you're the family who bought that big ranch on the hill. It's nice to meet you. I'm Kathy." she said and handed Renee a daffodil.

"Thank you." she thanked.

Then Kathy handed me one. "Thanks Kathy." I said.

"No problem. We're all playing a game at the festival this year. It's a new event that Mayor Hamilton wanted to try. Everyone has to collect ten of the flowers that are on a list that Hamilton is giving to all of us. You have to find all of them by 5:00 this afternoon. The first person who can collect them before 5:00 wins a big prize." Kathy explained.

"Awesome! Where are the flowers?" I asked.

"The mayor has hidden them all over the island. Everyone starts with a daffodil and the search is all up to us. Come on the gang's waiting by the clock tower." she said and we followed her to the clock tower.

When we got there everyone was standing there with daffodils in their hands.

"Hi Ayame!" Luke yelled and waved at me.

"What's up Luke!" I yelled back.

"Hey who's the new girl?" Toby asked.

"This is Renee, everyone." I announced.

Everybody smiled and started saying a bunch of various hi's.

Renee smiled at them. "It's nice to meet you all."

I looked over at Luke. "Are you planning on losing to me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right. I'm not losing at all to anyone. I'll be the winner of this contest."

"We'll see my friend, we'll see."

Suddenly a whistle blew and everyone turned their attention over towards the front of Town Hall.

Mayor Hamilton stood on a little platform with a whistle in his hand. "Everyone, gather around because it's time for the main event." he announced.

Everyone went up and stood in front of the platform.

"Now it's time for the flower bouquet scavenger hunt. I can see that you all have your daffodils already. Those are you starting flowers. There are nine more flowers hidden all over the island. Some are easy to find and some are extremely difficult to find. You must collect all ten flowers before 5:00 this afternoon. The first person to find them all before that time will win the hunt and will receive the grand prize. Elli will be coming around with your lists." he explained to everyone.

Elli walked around and handed all of us our flower lists.

"Is everybody ready?" Hamilton asked.

Everyone cheered in reply.

"Okay then. On your marks...get set..." he said and then blew the whistle.

Everyone started running through the town like a bunch of cheetahs.

I went over to Cream Beach and saw a lighthouse not too far from there. I ran over to it and looked around it. Suddenly I spotted a little pink flower.

Then I checked my list and saw that it was the pink cat flower. "Found one!"

I quickly picked it and put it with my daffodil. "Two down, eight to go." I said and ran over towards the Sundae Inn.  
>Then I started up the hill up to the Maple Lake District.<p>

There were tons of flowers around the lake. Some of these flowers must be here.

I ran over to it and started reading the list. Then I started picking the ones on the list.

"Let's see a tulip, a pansy, a begonia, a morning glory, a moondrop flower, and a lily. Yes! I'm on a roll! Only two left!" I said triumphantly.

"Wow Ayame, you're doing great." said a voice.

I turned around and saw Kathy standing behind me. She was holding only a daffodil.

"Thanks." I replied.

"I'm not doing so well. I've only got the one I started with. There's nothing on the list around here. Why did Hamilton have to do this if he knew where the flowers are?" she replied.

I shrugged. "Hey, he's the Mayor. He can do whatever the heck he wants to do."

She shook her head. "I swear, if Gill is gonna be anything like his father, I might just move to the city."

I laughed. "Nah, he won't be that bad. He might complain about everything, but I doubt he'll be like that."

She rolled her eyes. "I hope you're right. So where did you get all your flowers?"

I pointed to the field of flowers by the lake. "Most of them came from here. I'm gonna go check around the Ganache District."

She started picking the flowers. "Thanks. I'll see ya later." she said.

I waved at her and ran up to the Ganache Mine District. Then I looked down at my list. "Now where am I going to find a rose and a blue mist flower?" I thought.

Suddenly I bumped into someone. "Watch where you're going!" a voice yelled.

"Sorry, I guess I wasn't looking where I was going." I apologized.

It was Gill. "Oh, it's you. You should watch where you're going next time that you decide to daze off into space." he said calmly.

'Boy he can be annoying with that tone.' I thought to myself.

"Sorry, I'm just looking for the last two flowers on my list." I replied.

He stopped glaring and then looked over my shoulder at my list. "Which ones are you looking for?"

"A rose and a blue mist flower."

He leaned back. "Well the blue mist is a rare flower, so good luck with that. And all of the roses are gone." he explained.

My face dropped. The last two flowers are never going to be found now. If Luke got them, he'll never stop bragging about how he beat me.

"But, I got the last two roses before anyone else could find them." he said as he handed a rose to me. "You can have one."

I took it from him. "Thanks Gill, but why me?"

"Well other than the fact that I don't like anybody else on the island, it's a token of thanks for the other day at the beach. Good luck with the rest of your hunt." he replied and began to walk away.

I stood there dumbfound and then snapped out of it. "Oh, um thanks!" I yelled to him.

He waved behind his back at me and walked down the hill.

Now to find that blue mist flower.

I ran up by the Carpentry shop and went into the fenced-in area where I met Bo and Luke at.

I began searching around the trees and boulders for the blue mist flower. Nothing.

"Hey Ayame!" a voice shouted.  
>I turned around and saw Luke standing at the entrance of the fence. He was carrying nine different flowers in his hand. Then he ran over to me.<p>

"Hey Luke. How's the hunt going?" I greeted.

"It's going great. I've only got one flower left to find."

"Really, what is it?" I asked.

"The blue mist flower."

"Me too. Do you know where to find it?"

He shook his head. "Nope. It's a hard flower to find." he replied sadly as he started looking around.

I looked behind a boulder. "Why did the Mayor even put that flower on the list if nobody can find it?"

Luke ran around the trees. "The Mayor thinks that it would be a challenge to find that flower. It's one of the most precious and rarest flowers on the island."

I walked over to him. "Well where is it supposed to be found?"

"I don't know." he replied as he looked at me. "Well, we probably won't win, but we can still be losers together."

I smiled. "Yeah, the losers unite."

Luke laughed.

Well maybe there's always next year.

Suddenly out of the corner of my eye I saw a blue flower behind a fence post. I turned my attention to it and gasped.

There it was; the blue mist flower.

Luke gasped as he locked eyes on it.

I looked at him and he looked at me. He smirked.

Oh no he isn't gonna….

Suddenly we both ran over to it. We both dove onto the ground and grabbed it at the same time.  
>"Let go of it Luke! I found it first!" I demanded.<p>

"No you didn't I did!" he rebutted.

We both pulled the flower out of the ground and kept fighting over it like a game of tug-o-war.

"Let go!" we yelled in unison.

"What happened to losers unite?"

"Well, I'm not gonna be a loser now. So let go!"

"Well I'm not gonna be a loser either! So you let go!"  
>"Not gonna happen!" he yelled.<p>

This was useless; either we're gonna be fighting for the rest of the day or I could do something that will get him to let go.

Suddenly a thought came into my head. This calls for desperate measures. Time to pull out the big guns.

I smirked and stopped pulling. Then I sat back on my knees and let go. "Actually, you're right, you saw it first. You can have it."

Luke sat on his butt with his legs spread out in front of him. He looked at me confused. "Really?"  
>"Yeah, you deserve it."<p>

"Yeah, I guess I do deserve it. Cause I _am_ the best." he said proudly.

I smirked and got on my hands and knees. "Yeah, I mean you are the best carpenters on the island. _And_ you have your own fan club."

"Yeah, the 'Luke fan club'." he continued.

I started crawling towards him. "Yeah with a fan that's extremely in love with you." I said as my smirk widened.

"Yeah with a fan whose...what?" he yelled and realized how close I was getting to him.

I crawled in between his legs and lay against his chest. I leaned my face toward his.

He started getting nervous and started getting a slight pink tint to his cheeks.

I smirked at him. I got him.

"A-Ayame, wh-what are you doing?" he stuttered nervously.

He looked so cute stuttering like that.

"I can't take it anymore Luke. I'm confessing my love to you. I've been in love with you since the minute I met you that day." I said softly.

"Wh-what?"

"Luke, you're the perfect guy I've ever laid eyes on. You're beautiful amber brown eyes, your messy blue hair, and your sexy body with big muscles." I said seductively as I ran my fingers down his arm.

He shivered and gulped at my touch. "You...you think I'm hot?"

"Yes Luke, I do. Can you do me a favor?" I asked as I brushed his cheek with my hand.

"Anything." he replied breathlessly.

This was gonna be the icing on the cake.

"Kiss me." I replied seductively.

His eyes widened. "K-kiss you?"

"Yes Luke, kiss me. Kiss me before I go insane."

He slowly closed his eyes and leaned towards me.

I leaned towards him and smirked. I saw the blue mist flower lying on the ground next to him.

I quickly grabbed the flower and got off of Luke. Without a seconds thought, I suddenly broke into a run and ran away from the Carpentry shop area.

"AYAME!" I heard Luke scream.

'Oh boy, I'm dead.' I thought to myself as I ran down the hill as fast as I could.

I heard someone running right on my heels. "Ayame I'm gonna kill you!" Luke yelled.

I didn't stop. If I did….well I didn't want to think of what was gonna happen.

Finally I reached the steps of Town Hall. Luke was right on my tail as I quickly ran up to Mayor Hamilton and handed my flowers to him."I have them all." I said breathlessly.

Hamilton started counting through the flowers. Then he smiled. "Congratulations Miss Ayame. You are the winner."  
>I grinned. "Thank you Mayor Hamilton." I said and started to catch my breath.<p>

Suddenly someone picked me up and threw me over their shoulder. "Hey! Put me down!" I demanded.

The person carried me away from Town Hall and carried me to Cream Beach.  
>"Put me down!" I yelled as I beat my fists on their back.<p>

Suddenly the stranger dropped me into the water. I went under and I swam up to the surface. As I surfaced I began to spit out water.

The stranger stood above me but I couldn't see him because the sun was in my eyes. I raised my hand over my eyes so I could block the sun out to see who it was.

It was Luke. "What was that back there?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I replied innocently as I stepped out of the water.

He grabbed my shoulders and threw me onto the sand.

"Ow." I said plainly. It didn't hurt very much but I did feel a little.

What the heck was wrong with him? I've never seen him like this.

Then Luke jumped on me and pinned me to the ground.

"Ouch!" Now that hurt. "Luke, get off me!"

"Not until you tell me why you did that?"

"Did what?" I asked innocently.

Luke ran his fingers down my arm. "Luke, I'm confessing me love to you. You're the perfect guy ever." he quoted.

"Oh that. Well...I...I" I started but Luke stopped me.

"You tricked me. Why?"

"I wanted to get the blue mist flower. I'm sorry."

"So you decided to say that you're extremely in love with me and steal the flower while I'm off guard so you could win." he explained.

"I'm sorry." I apologized again.

"You little sneaky...genius." he said proudly.

I stared at him confusingly. "Huh?"

"You were able to trick me into thinking that you were in love with me so you could get the flower. I'm impressed. How did you do that?"

I snapped out of my delusion and smiled. "I've practiced my acting skills for years. I don't mean to brag but I think I'm actually pretty good."

Luke laughed. "I'll say. That was excellent. I should be mad at you but I just can't do that. But I guess the throwing you the water thing works for me."

I smirked up at him then I suddenly pushed him off of me and into the water.

"Hey!" he yelled as he surfaced.

I burst out laughing as I stood up. "That's for throwing me in for no reason."

Suddenly he grabbed my arm and pulled me in with him. "Ha ha!" he yelled in triumphant.

Then I pushed him under and we began wrestling in the water. After a few seconds we started laughing.

"Oh Luke I love you so much!" I said dramatically.

He laughed. "Ayame, I've been in love with you since we met!"

I laughed. "Oh Luke kiss me!" I said with a giggle.

"Ayame kiss me!" Luke yelled as he grabbed my face.

We both leaned forward until our lips were only a few inches from each other.

"I love you Luke." I whispered.

"I love you too Ayame." he whispered back.

Suddenly we splashed each other in the face and continued to wrestle.

After awhile, Luke and I walked back up to Town Hall. Everyone was standing around the platform where Mayor Hamilton was speaking from.

"And here is our winner Miss Ay...good golly!" he said as he looked over at us and gasped.

Everyone looked at us and howled with laughter.

"What happened to you guys? Did you fall in the pond?" Kathy asked.

"Actually it was the ocean." I corrected as we walked over to them.

"What the heck were you guys doing out there?" Owen asked.

"Wrestling." Luke responded.

"I can't tell who won." Chase said.

We both pointed at each other. "It was a tie."

Hamilton cleared his throat and everyone turned their attention back to him. "Well anyways our winner this year is Miss Ayame." he announced.

Everyone clapped as I jumped onto the platform.

I took a few bows and decided to start acting funny. I put my hands in the air and gave the rock and roll sign. "Whoooo!"

I couldn't help it, it was who I was. I loved to do stuff like this.

Everyone burst out laughing at my stupidity.

"Go Ayame!" Luke yelled.

Even Mayor Hamilton laughed along with the crowd. "Well there's some spirit there everyone. Let's give another round of applause for our winner."

Everyone continued to clap and cheer for me. They seemed to enjoy my humor a lot.

But in the crowd I could see Gill staring at me with a straight face as he clapped.

'Shoot. He's not laughing.' I thought to myself. 'Well I guess I'll have to keep trying.'

Then Mayor Hamilton took at big box from Elli and brought it onto the stage. "Here is the grand prize for you, Miss Ayame." He said as he set it in front of me.

I pulled the lid off and gasped. Inside was a little brown and white puppy. The puppy jumped on me and started licking my face.  
>Everyone started 'awing' at the pup.<p>

"One of the ranches donated this puppy to be adopted. This little pup belongs to you know, if you want to keep him." said Hamilton.

I held the pup in my arms and smiled. "Yes, I'd love to keep him. Thank you so much." I thanked.

"You're welcome. Now please enjoy the rest of the festival." he replied and walked off stage.

I carried the puppy down to my friends.

"Isn't he just the cutest?" Renee squealed.

Kathy put her hand out and the puppy licked it. "He's adorable!" Kathy squealed.

"So what are you going to name him?" Anissa asked.

"Um...how about Sam?" I suggested.

They all nodded their heads.

I smiled down at my new pup and set him on the ground.  
>Sam looked over and ran over to Luke, jumping on him. Then he started licking Luke's face.<p>

"Hey you're tickling me." Luke laughed.  
>I smiled. "He seems to like you a lot."<p>

He smiled. "Yeah, I love dogs. And he's a smart one too."  
>I laughed. "He sure is."<p>

"Hey, you there!" shouted a voice.  
>I turned around and gasped. Behind me stood a girl with reddish brown hair that was tied in a bun and had a long curl in front of her bangs. She had violet colored eyes and tan skin. She wore a sort of a purple belly dancer outfit with pieces of golden jewelry hanging all over.<p>

"Buy me a lily." she commanded.

I looked at her confused. "Why?"

"Because I'm a beautiful and talented dancer." she replied.

I raised an eyebrow. "Really?"  
>She stepped back. "Don't believe me, huh?" she said.<p>

Then she started to dance. She was like a beautiful ballerina as she danced around the square. Everyone stood in 'awe' as they watched her. She wasn't a bad dancer for a snobby girl like her.

When she stopped dancing everyone burst into applause. She bowed a few times and then she walked back over to me. "How was that?"

"It was good. I've never seen anyone dance like that before." I replied.

"Good, then buy me a lily." she commanded again.

I put my hands on my waist. "Why? I don't think I should buy you a lily just because you tell me I should. Who are you anyway?"

"I'm Selena, and because I just gave you a beautiful performance and I deserve one. So chop-chop little one." she replied.

I rolled my eyes. 'Maybe I should just buy it so she'll shut up.'

I thought as I walked away from her so I could go buy a lily at the nearest flower stand. I paid for it and then walked back over.

As I returned I frowned at her. "Happy?" I asked as I handed her the flower.

She took it. "Thank you." she said as she sniffed it. "Mmmm smells so good. So what's your name little one?"

"Ayame and I'm not little." I replied, slightly annoyed with the name she referred to me as.

"Well I am taller than you. So how long have you been here?" she asked as she put the flower in her hair.

"About three weeks. You?"

"I just moved here. I used to live here until my family moved and now I've decided to live here again." she explained.

Oh great, now I'll have to see this snob every single day now. What a joy.

I tried to put on a fake smile. "Well it's good to meet someone else who is new here."

"Oh yes it is. But I just have to tell you something first." Then she suddenly glared at me. "Here's a little piece of advice, stay out of my way."

My eyes widened. "What?"

"I'm a beautiful dancer who's going to be popular and famous around here. And you're a lousy tacky farm girl with a stupid attitude and dorky friends." she said snobbishly.

My mouth dropped. "Excuse me?" I asked astonished.

"You heard me, you're a joke of a farmer and you have an attitude fit for a slob."

"Hey, what did I ever do to you?" I asked angrily.

"Easy, you stole my spotlight today. The day I come back to the island to see everyone again and then you steal the attention of everyone because you win a stupid contest and you got a stupid mutt. Humph! It's what you deserve." she replied.

"Hey! Don't you say that about my dog!" I yelled.

She smirked. "Why not? It's just a stupid mutt, he has no feelings. Oh and I need to clue you in on something else." She took a step forward and stared at me intensively. "Stay away from Luke, he's mine. So I don't want to see you with him or I'll make you regret that you ever came to this island."

I stood my ground as I glared right back at her. "Luke is my friend. He's sweet, funny, and has a really good sense of humor. Knowing him, he'd never date someone who's as cold hearted as you. And listen here, missy. Don't _**ever**_ insult my friends or my dog, you got it. So why don't you just leave me alone so I can get on with my life. You'll never ruin my life here nor will you ever run me out of here. This is my home and I don't plan on leaving it anytime soon."  
>She stepped back and smirked. "Humph! Whatever, little freak. Just remember that I warned you. So you'd better watch your back. See ya." She said as she walked away from me.<p>

I felt like steam was coming out of my ears. 'Good riddance.'

That girl is nothing but a spoiled brat with a nasty attitude. But she won't get to me. I won't let that get in the way of my life.  
>Today there were good and bad things going on the Flower Festival.<p>

The good things were that I won a contest, had fun wrestling with Luke, had a little fun, and now I've got a new puppy.

The bad thing was that the new islander hates my guts for no apparent reason. Well, maybe she has her own reasons, but I don't care. I guess I've got an enemy now.

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><p><strong>Well how was that? I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Selena is such a brat in my opinion. So it looks like Ayame has a new enemy. Will she stay out of Ayame's way or will she ruin her life? Well you'll find out soon. Please review and message me. Thanks everyone! <strong>


	5. There's a Sacred Tree!

**Hey everyone! Sorry it took so long for this chapter to get done. I had a lot of editing to do. Plus I have college to worry about. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I had to name this chapter something funny. I thought a question like that would be funny. Anyways, I admit, it's not one of my favorite chapters, but you guys can be the judges of that. I hope you all like it. Please review and message me. Thanks everyone! Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry**

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><p>A bright light shined in my face, waking out of my sleep. It was a beautiful morning today. The sun was out, shining it's rays on the island which showed off it's various colors of greens and blues. It was a perfect day.<p>

I looked around and I saw that I was standing outside of a church. It was tall with stained glass picture on the windows. It didn't look very familiar to me at all. Why was I here? And how did I get here?

"Ayame." a voice said.

I turned around to find a man with grayish brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black tux and he had a beautiful flower pinned to his chest.

My heart dropped and my throat dried up. I couldn't believe my eyes. "D-Dad?" I choked out.

"Kiddo, you look beautiful. You're the spitting image of your mother. The dress is a perfect fit." he said as he walked up to me and kissed the top of my head.

I looked down at myself and saw that I was wearing a long blue and white dress. 'Where did this come from?' I asked myself. Then I looked back at my dad. "Dad why are you here?"

"Oh Kiddo, you're so funny. Now come on we're going to be late." he said as he linked arms with me.

"Wait! Late for what?"

He laughed. "Why, to your own wedding of course."

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><p>I suddenly snapped my eyes open to the bright light coming through my window. I looked around my house to see if my father was still with me. But sadly, he wasn't there.<p>

Sam was lying in a basket that I gave him next to my bed.

I sat up and put my hand on my head. "Wow, what a strange dream."

Then I got out of bed and went over to my dresser. I pulled out a pair of khaki shorts and a blue t-shirt, pulling them on as I walked to the door.

Then I walked outside with my hiking boots in my hand.

I smelled the air. 'Ahhhh…the fresh smell of a beautiful morning, I love it.' I thought as I sat down on the porch, pulling on my boots.

It's been a few days since the Flower Festival and now it's almost the beginning of summer.

I got up and walked down the ocean edge in front of my house and sat on the sandy beach. The ocean mist came gently across my face as I sat near the water.

It's so pretty out here. I'm really glad I moved here to Waffle Island. I've got the greatest friends, a cute little house, and adorable puppy, and my own life. It seems my adventure is just starting.

Then my thoughts drifted back to that dream I had. Why was I getting married for? And to who? But most importantly, why was my dad there? I thought I would never see my dad again. It had been years since the last I saw him. I wonder what that dream meant.  
>"Hey Ayame." said a voice.<p>

I looked behind me to find Chloe standing there. She walked over to my side and sat beside me.  
>"Hey Chloe, what's up?" I asked.<p>

"Nothing, I was just bored at the blacksmith's and decided to come and see you."

I smiled at her. "Thanks."

"So what are you doing?"

"Nothing, I just thought that I should come down to the water and sit."

"Cool." she said happily.

We sat in silence and stared out into the sea. The waves rolled in and out to sea, the fresh mist touched out faces, and the sun lit up the entire ocean. It was so peaceful.

After a few minutes Chloe stretched her muscles. "So what do you want to do now?"

"I don't know. How about a walk?" I suggested.

She quickly got to her feet. "Sure let's go!" she exclaimed.

I got up and we started walking up a path leading up a hill. I had been all over the island but never had I ever been up this path before.

Suddenly Chloe stopped. "Oh I forgot we can't go that way. There's a tree root blocking the path?"

I looked down at her. "Where does the path lead to?"

"It's a shortcut to the Ganache Mine District, but there's been a tree root blocking there for a long time."

"How come they haven't cut it out?"

She shrugged. "I don't know." Then she pulled my arm toward a different path. "Come on let's go the long way."

We both walked up the hill that led to the Ganache District and then walked towards the Blacksmith's and the Carpentry.

We spotted Bo and Owen, who were sitting on the porch of the Carpentry. They looked absolutely bored.

"What are you guys doing out here?" I asked.

Bo sighed. "Luke and his father are in a fight right now."

"What did Luke do this time?" Chloe asked.

"Luke wants to cut the big tree root that's blocking the path near here but his father won't let him." Owen explained.  
>"Why? Wouldn't it be a good thing to get rid of that root?" I asked.<p>

"We don't know." they said in unison.

I walked up onto the porch and opened the door. Suddenly I ducked my head just in time as a boot flew out the door.

Owen and Bo stared in shock as they got to their feet.

"Are you okay?" Bo asked.

I nodded in response.

Chloe picked up the boot. "Why are they throwing boots?"

I shrugged as I went inside of the shop with the rest of the gang following behind me.

"Oh come on dad, people need through that path! Just let me cut it off!" Luke yelled.

"No! That is the Mother Tree! If you chop it down then the Harvest Goddess will be mad at you!" Dale yelled back.

"Ha then the Harvest Goddess should just spank me!" Luke replied as he began to laughing.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Luke!"

He looked at me and jumped. "Ayame!"

His dad laughed. "Looks like she can scare you more than the Harvest Goddess can."

Luke glared. "I wasn't scared. She...she just surprised me."

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah right Luke." I answered sarcastically. "So what are guys fighting about? And why are you throwing boots at me."

Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh…sorry about that. That was my fault."

"He wants to chop that part of the Mother Tree that's blocking the path and I won't let him." Dale explained.

"Because he's a big nagger with a huge bushy mustache." Luke laughed out loud.

Bo and Owen snickered.

Dale glared. "Never the less, I don't want him to cut part of that sacred tree off. It's special to the island."

"Can't I just cut a tunnel through?" Luke begged.

"The answer is 'no' Luke. That's my final word." Dale replied.

Luke scowled and raced for the door. He pushed Owen and Bo out of the way and ran outside.

I looked back at Dale who gave me an upset look.

"Maybe you should go talk to him, Ayame. Maybe you can get him to listen to you. He can be quite stubborn sometimes and I'd hate to see him like this." he explained.

I nodded my head in reply and went outside. I glanced around the area but Luke was nowhere to be found. He wasn't even at the fenced in area where he cuts trees down.  
>CRACK!<p>

A noise echoed through the area.

'What was that?' I said to myself.

CRACK!

The noise sounded like it was coming from the other side of the root.

A thought popped into my head. "Oh no, he isn't." I thought horribly.

I ran over to the root and looked up. It was at least five feet taller than me, but it looked climbable. I grabbed onto the bark and started climbing it like when I used to climb the trees in the City Park.

I swung my leg over the top and pulled myself over to sit on the top of the root. I peered over to find Luke swinging the ax at the tree root.  
>"Luke stop it!"<p>

He looked up with a shocked expression and then turned into a glare. "No! Leave me alone!" he yelled back as he swung the ax again.

"Luke stop swinging that ax, so I can get down!"

He stopped and stepped away.

I jumped down and walked over to him.

He stared at me for a second, then brushed right past me and started chopping at the tree again.

I looked at his back. "Luke you need to stop. If you don't then your dad will kill you."

He chopped the root. "I don't care. My old man has gotten on my last nerve. I'm cutting a hole through so everyone can get here faster." he said as he continued to chop.

"Why is this so important to you?"

He stopped chopping as the ax got stuck in the wood. "It's been this way for a long time and I want it to be open so people can get through. I'm also tired of listening to my old man like this. I can do whatever I want and he's not gonna stop me."

When he swung the ax back I quickly grabbed onto the handle. He glanced back and tried to pull on the ax. "Ayame let go." he said sternly.  
>"No, not until you stop. You shouldn't be doing this because it doesn't sound right." I replied as I held on tighter.<p>

He pulled back on the handle. "Stop it Ayame!"

I pulled back harder. "No!"  
>Suddenly I lost my balance and fell backwards, letting go of the ax. Luke lost his balance too and was jerked forward, letting the ax go.<p>

The ax landed above my head and Luke fell on top of me. I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling the huge impact of Luke falling on me.

"Sorry." Luke grunted.

"It's okay." I responded as I slowly opened my eyes and gasped.

Luke was staring right back at me, shocked.

Our faces were only a few inches from each other. He had a light pink tint to his cheeks. I felt my cheeks grow warm.

"Ay...Ayame?" he stuttered.

I stared back into his eyes. They looked different, but what was it. They looked like I wanted to stare at them all day long. They had a slight shimmer in his amber colored eyes. "Lu...Luke?"

We just stared at each other in silence while Luke remained lying on top of me. Neither of us moved. Even though I thought that this was awkward situation, I didn't want to move.

It seemed as if the world stopped around us.

"Hey Ayame, Luke, where are you guys?" Bo's voice yelled in the distance.

We both looked over near the tree root.

"W-we are behind the root!" Luke choked out.

"Are you guys okay?" Owen shouted.

"Y-yeah." I managed to say.

Then Luke looked back at me, realizing that he was still on top of me. He slowly got off of me, sitting down next to me.

I slowly sat up and stared at the tree root, still in disbelief at what just happened.

"I...I'm so sorry, Ayame." Luke said finally.  
>"It's o-okay Luke. At least the ax didn't hit me." I replied with a slight stutter.<p>

He reached behind me, grabbing the ax and then began twirling it between his fingers. "I...I didn't mean to fall on you...like that."

"No, it was my fault. I'm the one who fell backwards."

"But I'm the one who got angry at you. I just...I just hate it when my dad gets mad at me like that."

I patted his shoulder. "It's okay Luke. I'm sorry about all of this."

He smiled back softly. "Thanks."

I looked up at the tree that the root was branching off of. The tree was so tall. It was taller than any other tree in the entire world. Even though I've been living here for so long now, I've never really noticed that tree.

"How come this tree is so tall?"

Luke looked over at me. "That's the way it's always been. It's been here ever since I was a kid."

"Wow, that's _**some**_ tree."

Then I thought back to the name. Everyone kept referring it as the 'Mother Tree'. Maybe the name had to do with it's tallness. It was like a mother to the island.

Then he looked down at his ax. "Yeah." He sighed. "I just want to help everyone find a quicker way to get to Ganache Mine District. I just wish that my dad would understand."

Suddenly an idea popped into my head. "I've got an idea. Come on." I announced as I got to my feet.

Luke slowly stood up. "Where are we going?"

I started marching down the hill. "To Town Hall."

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><p>"You want to remove part of the Mother Tree so the path can reach the Ganache Mine District?" Mayor Hamilton asked us.<br>"That's right." Luke replied.

"So people can get there faster?" Elli added to Hamilton's question.

"Yeah, we want to help the town out." I replied.

Hamilton rubbed his chin. "Well...I don't know. I mean it would be an improvement to the town...but." he said and stopped.

"But?" Luke questioned.

"It would mean destroying part of the island's sacred tree." he replied.

Everyone was silent.

I stared at all of their expressions. The tree was the island's sacred tree?

"Well...what about the Harvest Goddess?" Elli asked.

"Pfft...I don't think there is a Harvest Goddess. I mean, she's never shown up and I don't think that she ever will." said Luke.

I stood there confused. Okay, I think it was time for asking questions about this whole thing. "Who is this Harvest Goddess everyone is mentioning?" I asked everyone.

They all stared at me in disbelief.

"You don't know who the Harvest Goddess is?" Mayor Hamilton asked.

I shook my head. "I've only lived here for about a month and I'm not sure what kind of customs you islanders talk about. Do you mind filling me in on this subject?"

Elli looked towards the stairs in the office. "You should go talk to Gill, Ayame. He knows more about the Harvest Goddess than his father does. He's in the library." she explained.

Mayor Hamilton nodded and chuckled. "Yes, my son does more research than I do. You should go discuss it with him."

I looked at Luke, probably guessing what his response would be.

Sure enough, he crossed his arms. "Nope, I'm not going to see sissy prissy boy. I'm going back to the District." he said as he walked out the door.

I shrugged my shoulders and walked up the steps. Sheesh, why did Luke have such a huge thing against Gill? Oh well, it's his own opinion.

Gill was sitting at a table with his back facing me when I reached the top. Practically, he was in the same position that he was in when I was here the last time.

'Do I have to do this sort of thing again?' I asked myself. 'Yes, yes I do.'

I quietly snuck up behind him and stood there silently. Of course, he didn't notice that I was there. Then I drew in a deep breath. "HI GILL!" I yelled.

He screamed and fell out of his chair.

This time I burst out laughing instead of trying to hide my laugh.  
>He glared up at me. "Must you always sneak up on me and scare me to death!" he grumbled.<p>

I kept laughing. "I'm sorry. I couldn't resist." I said in between laughs.  
>He growled deeply.<br>I slowed down my laughing and offered my hand.

He raised an eyebrow and grabbed a hold of it.

I pulled him to his feet and grinned at him.

He crossed his arms. "What is it this time? Are you guys throwing a party? Are you going mining? I'm not in the mood to go out and do something today." he asked in a bored tone.

I shook my head. "It's nothing like that."

"Then what is it?"

"Can you explain to me about the Harvest Goddess and the Mother Tree?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Why would you want to know about that?"

"Well Luke and I..." he cut me off and threw his arms into the air. "Oh Luke, I should have known!" he yelled in frustration.

"No, it has nothing to do...well maybe it does, but he mentioned something about the Harvest Goddess and I don't know who she is. Elli told me that you'd know the most about her. And you would know about the Mother Tree too." I responded.

He stood there silently and stared back at me. Then he turned around, picking the book up from his table and putting it back on the shelf. "Come on. It's too stuffy in here to talk about this." he said finally.

"But I thought you said that you didn't want go out and do something."

"In this case, I'm willing to go out and talk."

I smiled. "Okay."

We went downstairs and up to the front desk, where Elli was working on paperwork.

"Elli, call up the Sundae Inn and tell them to make me a couple of to-go lunches for me."  
>Elli nodded and dialed the phone. "Yes, sir." She said as she smiled at me.<p>

Gill walked out the door and I followed right behind him. "So where are we going?" I asked.

He didn't answer.

When we reached the Sundae Inn, Maya ran out with two brown paper bags. She handed them to Gill. "Here's your order."

He nodded. "Thank you, you can put it on my tab."

She nodded and waved at me. "Hi!"

I smiled and waved back. "Hey."

She smiled back and then ran back into the Inn.  
>Gill handed me a bag. "Let's go." he said as he began walking towards the hill.<p>

I followed him, wondering what Gill was going to say about who this Harvest Goddess was. I hoped that I was going to get an answer about this. And hopefully I can figure out about this big Mother Tree.

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><p><strong>Well what did you think? I hoped that you liked it. I'll try to update soon. Please review and message me. Thanks! <strong>


	6. Everyone Has a Story

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's taken so long, I'm always so busy with college work. Of course, I'd rather work on this more than homework. But anyways, here's chapter 6. I hope you all like this chapter. I kind of like this chapter because it gets really funny near the end. That's all I'm saying for now. I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Please review and message me; I really appreciate your comments and critiques. Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.**

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><p>We hiked up the hill that led to the Ganache Mine District.<p>

Then we walked over to a large fielded area. A little wooden sign stood at the entrance. It read 'Brownie Ranch'. A big ranch sat in the distance.

'So that's where Renee lives. Wow that's a cool place.' I thought to myself.

We walked pass the ranch and went up a hill behind the farm where a giant tree stood. The tree was taller than the ranch, but it wasn't nearly as tall as the Mother Tree.

When we reached the top of the hill Gill went over to the root and sat under it. Then he looked up at me. "Well, don't just stand there. Sit down."

I walked over and sat down next to him under the tree. "_**Okay**_, you don't have to be so demanding."

He rolled his eyes as he opened his lunch bag and pulled out a sandwich.

I looked down at my paper bag and opened it. I reached inside, pulling out a sandwich. I looked inside the bread to find ham and with cheese, lettuce, ketchup, tomato, and a pickle.  
>I took a bite and chewed. It was actually really good.<p>

Then I looked over at Gill. "So who is this Harvest Goddess?" I asked with a mouthful of food.

He took a bite of his sandwich. "Well she's the Goddess of the island. She protects the island by blessing our crops and all of the land on the island." he explained as he chewed his sandwich.

"Hmmm, interesting." I said as I put my sandwich down and reached into my lunch bag. I pulled out of cup of banana pudding and a bottle of pineapple juice.

"Wow this is _**some**_ lunch."

Gill pulled a bottle of tomato juice out of his lunch. "The Sundae Inn is one of the best restaurants on the island. They also make the best to-go lunches." he explained as he took the cap off and took a sip.

I bit into my sandwich again. "So what about the Mother Tree?" I asked again with my mouth full.

A few chunks spewed out of my mouth and landed on his cheek. He stopped what he was doing and glared at me.

"Oops! I'm sorry."

He took a napkin and wiped it off. "Will you_** please**_ stop talking with your mouth full?"

I nodded. "Yes, I'm sorry."

He sighed and took another sip of tomato juice. "Well legend has it that the tree started the island."

I stared at him. "That's impossible. How can a tree start an island?"

"Whenever its roots spread the tree would collect more land. That's how Waffle Island was made."

"Wow, that's amazing."

He nodded and then looked down at his lap. "But sadly, the tree died a long time ago. That's when the Harvest Goddess disappeared. Nobody's seen or heard of her since then. A lot of people even stopped believing in her."

I looked down at my sandwich. "That's really sad." I sighed as I took another bite.

Gill took a bite of his sandwich. "Well there were also little fairies called 'Harvest Sprites' that helped the Harvest Goddess. But only kids could see them."

I looked at him. "Really? How do you know that?"

"Actually...well...oh I'd better not tell you." he said as he ate his sandwich.

"Tell me what?" I asked as I sipped my pineapple juice.

"No, you'd probably laugh."

"No, I won't." I assured him.

He took a deep breath and exhaled. "I saw the Harvest Sprites when I was little."

My eyes widened. "You did?"

He nodded. "I was playing down by the river one day and that's when I saw them. They warned me that the Mother Tree was dying and that they wanted me to help. But I was only a child back then and I didn't know what to do. So when the tree died, I never saw them again." he paused. "So after the tree died I made a vow to become a great mayor. So I can bring the Mother Tree back to life." He said as he looked out towards the island in a sort of daze.  
>I smiled. "That's a great ending. Thanks for telling me."<p>

"You're welcome." Then he looked back at me. "Now I have question for you."

"Fire away." I said as I grabbed a spoon and began to eat my pudding.

"Why did you want to know about the Harvest Goddess and the Mother Tree?"

"I...well Luke wants to cut out part of the Mother Tree root to make a shortcut from Carmel Fall District to the Ganache Mine District, but his dad won't let him because the Harvest Goddess would be mad at Luke." I explained.

Gill scratched his chin. "Even though that's cutting out part of the tree is wrong, we need that path extended. I told Dale to cut that part out weeks ago; that's why he won't cut it."

I nodded my head in agreement. "He's being a real jerk about it to Luke."

He sipped his tomato juice. "Well it looks like I'll have to talk to Dale about that."

"_**Yeah good luck with that.**_" I said sarcastically and laughed.

Gill kept a straight face as he stared back at me.

'Come on smile already. Time to pull out the 'big guns'.' I thought.

I crossed my eyes and stuck my tongue out.

He looked at me with a disgusted look. "What in the world are you doing?" he asked strangely.

I let my face go back to normal. "I don't know."

He rolled his eyes and went back to eating his sandwich.

'Well that didn't work. What's next Einstein?' I thought as I stared at him intensely. 'I wonder why he's always so cold all the time.'

He slowly turned his head and looked at me. "Can I help you? You're really acting strange today, Ayame."

I put my wrist up to my face and rested my chin on it. "Why don't you ever smile, Gill?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Why would you ask a stupid question like that?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know. It's just that, you're always in that grouchy mood. But that one day when you came to the beach, you almost smiled." I explained.

He seemed to still be listening to my reason.

"So now I've made a new goal. I'm going to try to make you smile no matter what." I finished.

He looked back at his sandwich. "Ha! You're just wasting your time. I haven't smiled in years." he scoffed.

"I bet I can make you smile."

"Oh really? That silly face you made can't make me smile."

"Then what can?"

"Nothing."

"Than what about when you tapped me in Marco Polo? You were about to smile."

"About; I didn't actually smile." he corrected.

"You almost did."

He groaned. "You're not going to let this go, are you?"

I shook my head. "Nope. Not until I see you smile."

He shook his head in dismay. "I hate to disappoint you, but that will never happen." he said as he finished his sandwich.  
>I ate the rest of my food and drank my juice.<p>

When we finished eating we put our trash into the paper bags.  
>Then Gill stood up and started walking down the hill. "Come on!" he called to me.<p>

I ran after him. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see."

* * *

><p>"Absolutely positively no! My answer is still no!" Dale yelled through store.<p>

So here we were, inside of the Carpentry, the only place where a huge argument was going on at. Gill mentioned to Dale about the root and Dale started getting upset about it again.

Owen was standing near the window looking out at the trees in a daze, he was lucky not to get involved.

Bo and Chloe were playing a game of cards on the floor and by the looks of it, Chloe was winning.

Luke wasn't even here. Owen told me that he went for a walk and would be back later.

"But Dale you have to. I don't want to cut the tree but we have no choice." Gill explained.

"We can't cut it! It's the island's sacred tree! I will never destroy that tree!" he yelled in reply.

"Then why don't you get Luke to do it?" I suggested.

Dale swung around and stared at me angrily. "No! He is not cutting the sacred tree!"

"Why?" I asked.

Dale stood there quietly and faced the back wall. "I'm not going to lose Luke, like my wife." he replied quietly.

I stood there confused.

"I'm sorry I've got to go out for a bit." he said and walked out the door.

I looked at the others.

Bo sighed. "He hasn't been like this in years."

I cocked my head to the side. "Why? What's wrong with him?"

Owen stepped away from the window. "Luke's mom drowned when he was a kid. Dale told us that he thinks the Harvest Goddess was mad at her because she carved something into the sacred tree. After that Dale has been keeping a close eye on what Luke does."

"If Luke cuts the tree then the Harvest Goddess will get angry at Luke and something bad will happen to him." Bo added.  
>I stood there silently.<br>Suddenly the door burst open. "Hey everybody! What'd I miss?" Luke yelled as he walked inside.

Everyone looked at Luke, who had a huge grin on his face.

Then his grin turned into a sneer and pointed angrily at Gill. "What are you doing here sissy prissy boy?"

Gill glared at him. "I'm here on business."

"Oh yeah? Then what's the business? Annoying everyone to death with your stupid speeches?"

"No, I'm here about the tree problem. Miss Ayame came and told me what happened."

Luke's face fell and stood there awkwardly. "Oh, so where's my dad?" he said slowly.

"He went outside for some air." Bo replied.

Luke went over to the counter and sat on it. He glared at Gill the whole time. "I don't really like having this jerk in my house."

Gill glared back. "Well that makes two of us."

We all stood there silently watching the two of them until Dale came back.

He came in and went to the front counter. "Son, get off of the counter."

Luke jumped off and stood by me.

Then Dale looked at Gill. "Is there any way we can make a path without destroying the tree?"

Gill shook his head. "I'm sorry Dale, but the only way is to cut a hole through it."

Dale buried his face into his hands and groaned. "I don't want my son to do it."

"Then why don't you do it Dale?" Owen asked.

He shook his head. "I'm not strong enough to do that. I'll throw out my back if I try."

"Then who will cut the hole?" Bo asked.

Suddenly a thought burst into my head and I shouted it out without a second's hesitation. "I'll do it!"

Everyone jerked their attentions to me.

Dale's head snapped up. "What did you say?"

"I...I'll do it." I replied with a slight stutter.

Dale's eyes widened. "You will?"

I nodded my head in reply.

"But nobody is stronger than Luke. It could take you weeks to chop a hole through." Dale explained.

"I can train her dad." Luke volunteered.

"But Luke, if you train her like how you train, she could get herself killed." Bo yelled out.

"I'll take all the training I need. I really want to help you guys out. I'm not really scared if something happens to me, I can handle it."

They all stood there quietly and stared at me.

"All right then." Dale said finally.

Luke's eyes widened at his dad. _"Really?"_

Dale nodded. "If she wants to do it, then she can do it. I don't mean for any damage to happen to you, Ayame."

I shrugged. "It's okay, I don't mind. I just like to help."

Then Dale rubbed his chin. "Well since you're going to be working for us when you're doing this, I think you deserve a reward of payment."

I cocked my head to the side. "What is it?"

Dale smiled. "We'll upgrade your house to a level two; for free."

My mouth dropped.

A level two house costs $15,000 plus forty pieces of lumber.

"Oh my gosh! Are you serious?"

"Yep, we'll even include the lumber." Dale explained.

My day just got a whole lot better.  
>"No way! I can't believe this!" I squealed.<p>

"We'll start construction next week."

"Then what are we waiting for? Come on Ayame, we need to start training!" Luke exclaimed as he grabbed my arm and pulled me outside.

"Luke, be careful out there! I don't want Ayame to get hurt out there." Dale scolded.

"We'll be careful dad!" Luke yelled.

"Thank you Dale!" I thanked.

Luke pulled me over to the fenced-in-area."I can't believe it! I can't believe they're going to let you cut it!"

"Yeah, and I'm getting my house remodeled too. What a deal."

Luke went over to a stump that had an ax sticking in it and pulled it out. He walked over to me and held it out. "Don't worry, I'm not going to try to pull it out of your hands like this morning."

I took it from him and looked at it. It had a few indent cuts on it, probably from chopping at stumps all day.

Then he pointed at a stump that had a series of deep cuts in it. "Let's see how deep you can cut the stumps."

I walked over to the stump and took the ax in both of my hands. Then I raised it and chopped downward. "HIYAH!" I yelled and hit the stump.

Luke stared at me stupidly. "You barely grazed it."

I looked down and saw that the ax wasn't even in the stump.

"Oh you've got to be kidding me!" I yelled in frustration.

"Don't worry you'll get it. You just need more practice."

"So how's the training going?" Bo asked as he came up to us.  
>I turned around to face him. "I suck."<br>Bo glanced at the ax that was lying on the ground.

"Yeah, but don't worry. We're going to be practicing a lot over the next few weeks." said Luke.

Bo looked at Luke. "You better not push her too hard with training. You could kill her with the kind of training _**you**_ do."

Luke rolled his eyes and smiled. "Ah, you worry too much Bo."

"He's right you know." said a voice.

We all looked at the entrance to find Gill standing there.  
>Luke growled. "What do you want sissy prissy boy?" he snarled.<p>

Gill walked over to us. "Making sure you're not going to kill Ayame with your stupid training."  
>"My training isn't stupid!"<p>

"Running up and down a hill and swinging an ax won't help."

"Hey that actually works. It helps cut the trees faster. Plus it builds up strong leg and bicep muscles." Luke explained and flexed his arms.  
>Gill's face stayed motionless. "Does it look like I care?" he said blankly.<p>

Luke took a deep breath. "Uhhh...no."

Gill nodded slightly.  
>Chloe and Owen came up to us and looked at Gill and Luke who kept glaring at each other.<br>"Are they at it again?" Owen asked.

I crossed my arms, leaning up against a fence post. Then I exhaled loudly. "Yep."

Owen leaned up against the fence post next to me. "Show time."

"Shut up sissy prissy boy!" Luke yelled.

"Stop calling me that you idiotic jerk!" Gill rebutted.

"At least I don't wear tight nerdy pants!"

"Well at least I don't polish my ax and call it my 'baby'!"

"I don't do that!"  
>"You just did it last week!"<p>

"No I didn't! Oh and what about you running around Cream Beach yelling out, 'I'm a fish! I'm a fish!' last Friday."

"That wasn't me you ding dong! That was Toby!"

"Well it looked like you!"  
>"Toby has white hair and I have blonde!"<p>

"So what? You look like him!" Luke yelled.

"I do not look like him!" Gill yelled.

All of us exhaled loudly as we watched Luke and Gill continuous fighting. This was actually an interesting show to watch.

* * *

><p>Well after two hours of watching the boys fight, Owen finally split them up.<p>

Gill just snarled and walked away.

So much for making him smile today. Pretty much it was the opposite of what I was going for.

Bo made Luke go back to the Carpentry for dinner.  
>As for Chloe and Owen, well Chloe went back to the Blacksmith's and Owen volunteered to walk me home.<p>

"Do you ever get tired of them fighting?" I asked Owen.

He sighed. "Yeah, but I get used to it. They've been arguing since they were kids."

"Were they ever friends, because it really doesn't sound like it?"

Owen pondered for a moment. "Um...actually...yeah they were."

My eyes grew the size of dinner plates. "Really? Are you kidding me?"

"No, surprisingly, I'm not. I almost forgot about that. They used to do everything together: Swimming, exploring, camping, and of course the usual prank." Owen explained.

I stared at Owen in shock. "Wait, Gill pulled pranks with Luke?"  
>Owen nodded. "The best prank they pulled was on Halloween. They turned Gill's mansion into a haunted mansion for the town on Halloween one year and everyone came to it. I was in on that prank too. We spilled tomato juice on ourselves, held plastic knives in our hands, and then we chased all of the kids around the house."<p>

I smiled. "Sounds awesome."

"Oh, you haven't heard the half of it. When Luke and Gill poured tomato juice all over Selena, she screamed like a banshee and ran out of the house. It was great." Owen reminisced.

I laughed. "That sounds like fun." Especially when it involves Selena.

"Yeah it was." he said and sighed. "But then when Gill's mom died of a heart attack a few months later that's when their friendship fell apart." he said sadly.

"Gill's mom died?"

Owen nodded.

I covered my mouth. "Well what happened after that?"

Owen ran a hand through his spiky red hair. "Gill refused to talk or pull pranks with Luke. Gill got grouchy and sour with everyone. He only focused on being an adult and becoming mayor. He lost every friend he had." Owen sighed again.  
>"That's pretty sad."<p>

Well that explains why Gill is such a sour puss all the time. But that's such a sad reason to be upset and lose your friends.

Finally we reached my house.

"Thanks for walking me home Owen." I thanked.

"Hey no problem. What are friends for?"

I smiled. "Yeah."

"By the way, are you and Luke going out?"

I looked at him confused. "What? No. Why do you ask?"

He smiled. "Then why was Luke lying on top of you earlier today? Were you two kissing?"

My eyes widened. "No! Luke and I were tugging on an ax and then I lost my balance and Luke fell on top of me."

Owen's face relaxed and then laughed. "Sorry. I saw you guys after you left the shop this morning. My mistake. Well I've got to go." he said and stared walking home.

"See ya Owen." I called to him.  
>I went inside my house to find Sam sitting in front of me. He barked.<p>

"Hey Sam!" I greeted as I patted his head.

I walked over and fell on my bed. Sam jumped onto my bed and curled up against me.

"Good dog." I told him as I played with his ears.

Wow, what a day. First I find out about the island's history, then I get a job working for Dale, and my house is getting remodeled. What else could make this day any more exciting?

'Are you and Luke going out?' Owen's voice echoed through my head causing my eyes to shoot open. I sat up and stared at the door.

'Were you two kissing?' his voice echoed again.

I shook my head and lay back down on my back. Great, my mind is playing tricks on me.

As I stared at the ceiling, I began to think. What if Luke and I dated? We'd go out on dates like walking in the woods or and eating at the Sundae Inn. Probably pull a few pranks on people. Maybe we could pull one on Selena. Ha! I bet that will be funny.

Then I started to laugh out loud at all of my thoughts.

Me and Luke? Dating? Pfft, that will never happen; it just sounds too funny.

Besides, we're just friends.

I doubt that it will ever happen.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, what did you think? I hoped you all liked it. Do you think it would just be too funny for Luke and Ayame to be dating? Or do you think they should be more than friends? I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Please review and message me! Thanks everyone! <strong>


	7. Hey Look It's Dinner and a Movie

**Hey everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long, I've been extremely busy with college lately. I'm trying to work on this as much as I can when I get some free time. I promise I'll try to get the next one out sooner. Well as for this chapter, this is one of my favorites. I had to call this chapter by that name because there was a joke that I made about with that when I was younger. So I thought it would be hilarious to call it that. I'll explain it at the bottom. Anyways, I really hope that you like this chapter. Please review and message me. Enjoy! **

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.**

* * *

><p>"HIYAH!" I yelled as I chopped at the stump. Thankfully, I actually made a deeper dent this time.<p>

"Nice one Ayame." Luke cheered from behind me.

I turned around and smiled at him. "Thanks. At least I did better this time around."

"Yeah, before you know it, you'll be chopping that hole through the trunk."

For the past week, Luke has been training me. The usual schedule followed, I'd get up at 6:00 A.M., go to the fenced- in area; which I found out is called Praline Forest, to train with Luke for a few hours, have dinner with Dale, Luke, and Bo, then go home to bed.

Trust me; it's more exhausting as it sounds.  
>It's now the first day of summer, and boy it's a really hot day. Well, I guess being on this island means really hot weather during the summer.<p>

"Break time!" Luke yelled.

I set the ax down next to the stump and followed Luke back to the Carpentry.  
>We walked inside to find Dale packing a suit case.<p>

"What are you doing dad?" Luke asked.

"I'm going to the city for awhile. We need more supplies for the store and I'm going to see some of my friends." Dale replied.

"But dad, I thought we were going to start remolding Ayame's house tomorrow?" Luke asked.

"Well, you're just gonna have to wait until I get back." Dale replied as he put a pair of pants into his suit case.

We stood there for a minute and then Luke got an idea.

"What if I work on it while you're gone? I could get lots of it done. Also, I could train Ayame while I'm taking a break from working."

Dale looked at Luke and me, sighing. "Fine, I'll let you do this once. But there will be rules." he said as he closed his suitcase.

Luke's expression exploded with excitement. "Yes! Thank you Dad!"

Dale frowned and pointed a finger at Luke. "Now listen here son. Here are the ground rules. Rule number one, don't slack off on your work." he said sternly.

Luke simply nodded.

"Rule number two; make sure to keep training Ayame. She's got a big job to do and she needs all the training she can get."

Luke nodded again.

"Rule number three; take care of the shop while I'm gone. Bo will help too."

I smiled. "I'll help out too." I volunteered.

Dale smiled. "Thank you Ayame." Then he glared at Luke. "Now son, this is the most important rule ever. Do not, I repeat, do not sleep over at Ayame's house. There will be no funny business. Got it?"

My eyes widened. 'Funny business? He seriously thinks that there's going to be 'funny business'? Why would Dale think that?'

Luke nodded in reply. "I promise, nothing is going to happen."

Dale picked up his suitcase and headed towards the door. Then he looked back at us. "I'll be back in a week. Remember my rules now. No funny business."

We both nodded in response.

"Have a nice trip Dale." I said.

"See ya dad." said Luke.

Dale smiled and then walked out the door.

As soon as the door shut Luke jumped into the air. "YES! The shop is all to myself!" he shouted in triumph.

"Hey don't forget that I'm here too." Bo said as he came out of the back room.

I smiled. "Hi Bo!"

He smiled back. "Hey Ayame."

Luke stood at a drill attention and faced Bo. "All right maggot, I want you to get some supplies for building a house right now or it's three laps around the District." Luke commanded like a drill sergeant.

Bo rolled his eyes. "Why? Did Dale even say that you're in charge?"

"Well...he didn't say that exactly. But I am in charge of remolding Ayame's house. So I guess that means I'm in charge of you too." Luke replied.

Bo rolled his eyes again and groaned. "Kill me now."

Luke smiled in triumph again and then looked at me. "Well should we get back to training?"

I nodded my head and walked back outside.

* * *

><p>After the day was done I went back home.<p>

Sam ran up to me as soon as I walked in the door.  
>"Hey Sam." I greeted as I bent down to pet him.<p>

He greeted me back by licking my face. I loved my dog so much.

I stood up and lay down on my bed. "You'd better be on your best behavior for the next few days, Sam. Luke's going to be here building the house. You got it?"

He barked in reply.

I smiled and stared at the ceiling. "This is going to be an awesome week." I said out loud.

* * *

><p>*BANG*BANG*BANG*<p>

I suddenly was awakened by the sound of someone banging on my door. I stumbled out of bed and wiped the sleep out of my eyes. 'Who could be here at this time in the morning?'

Then I opened the door to find Luke outside with an armful of tools. The sun was barely over the horizon behind him.

"Luke?" *Yawn* "What are you doing here?" I asked sleepily.

He smiled. "I'm here to work on your house." he replied excitedly.

I squinted my eyes and looked at the alarm clock on my bedside table. It read 4:00 A.M.

I looked back at Luke. "Luke, why are you here at four in the morning?" I asked grimly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't wait. I was really excited about getting to work early, so I picked up my supplies and headed over here." he replied with a grin.

I frowned at him.

His face dropped. "You're mad at me, aren't you?"

"Ya think?"

"Sorry, you can go back to bed. I'll just work on your house quietly."

"Fine." I grumbled and slammed the door in his face.

"I hate it when people wake me up. They should know that I'm grouchy when I wake up that early." I grumbled and fell onto my bed. I buried my face into my pillow and pulled the covers over my head.

I hope he keeps it down.

**~ Luke's P.O.V. ~**

I don't know why she's so angry at me. It's not my fault that I love to get started on a project this early, especially when my old man's not here to nag about me.

I laid out the boards and started working.

Within an hour I had the layout set up and I began on the walls.

"I figured you'd be up this early." said a voice behind me.

I looked behind me to find Bo with his arms crossed. "How'd you figure it out?" I asked as I continued to work.

Bo sat on the ground by me. "Your dad refuses to let you get up this early. Especially if you have a job to do, and since Dale isn't here to yell at you then you can do whatever you want. But, there is the option of telling Dale." Bo explained.

I stopped working and stared at Bo in horror. "Don't you tell my dad."

Bo rolled his eyes and leaned against a tree with his arms crossed. "I'm not going to tell him. Like I want to see you and your old man fighting about you disobeying the rules. I already have to put up with you two fighting about everything else."

I went back to hammering the walls.

"So, do you need me to help?" Bo asked.

"Well, not at the moment. But after an hour you can do all the work."

"Why? Isn't this supposed to be your job?"

"It is, but I want to apologize to Ayame."

"What did you do this time?" he asked as he has questioned just like the usual day.

Yeah I know I make mistakes right and left but it's not my fault that I'm a trouble magnet.

"I...uh...I woke her up at four in the morning and she...slammed the door in my face."

Bo groaned. "Luke, you don't get up that early and expect your customer to be up that early too. Ayame needs her sleep after training with you. You kind of push her too hard. I mean it Luke; you should let her have a break from carpentry work."

I looked down at the ground. 'Do I push her too hard?' I thought to myself.

**~ End of Luke's P.O.V. ~ **

The smell of bacon and eggs entered my nose. My eyes fluttered open and my vision blurred. I rubbed my eyes until my vision was clear and smelled the air. 'Mmmm...who's making breakfast?'

Then out of the corner of my eye I saw someone standing next to me. Slowly turning my head, I found Luke standing there with a tray of food.

I jumped and pulled my bed covers up to my neck. I didn't want Luke seeing my pajamas; even though they didn't show much.

"Um...good morning." he greeted nervously.

I blinked a few times. "Um...morning," I responded awkwardly. "How did you get into my house?"

"I...uh...you left the door unlocked." he stuttered.

"Oh."

Then it got awkwardly quiet.  
>He cleared his throat. "I...uh...I'm really sorry about waking you up at four this morning. I didn't mean to make you upset."<p>

'Oh no, that's right, I slammed the door in his face.' I thought horribly.

"Luke, I am so sorry about this morning. When I wake up, I have no idea what I'm doing. I hope you're not mad." I apologized.

He walked over to me and set the tray on my bed. "No, it was my fault. I'm the one who woke you up. So, I made you breakfast in bed as an apology. Do you forgive me?"

I looked down at my breakfast and then I smiled at him. "Of course I forgive you Luke, I couldn't be mad at you. You're my best friend." I explained as I lowered the covers from my neck.

He smiled back. "Thanks Ayame. Now you'd better eat your breakfast before it gets cold."

I smiled and cocked an eyebrow. "What are you, my mom?"

Luke laughed. "No, but I'm Bo's mom though. He's working outside right now."

I stared at him strangely. "Didn't your dad tell you that you're not supposed to slack off?"

"Yeah, but he's one of Dale's apprentices just like me. Plus...I kind of wanted to talk to you while I'm taking a break." he answered nervously.

I smiled. "You want to talk to me? But what about Bo? Won't he tell your dad?"

"Pfft...he won't tell my old man. I'll just threaten him with blackmail or throw something at him. It always works when I go to the bar at the Sundae Inn." explained as he sat down next to me on the bed.

"Luke, don't tell me that you drink!" I said astonished.

Luke grinned sheepishly. "What, it's non-alcoholic."

I rolled my eyes and started eating my breakfast. For a great and hilarious carpenter, he makes quite a killer breakfast.

"Mmmm...Luke this is delicious. I didn't know you cooked." I expressed as I ate my eggs.

"Well, when your dad is too busy with his business and your partner is working, what else are you supposed to do to eat? I took a few cooking lessons from Yolanda at the Inn. Looks like they've paid off." he explained as he gestured at my food.

There were eggs, bacon, toast, and a big glass of orange juice.

I picked up a piece of toast and munched on it. "Yep, they sure did."

"So what do you wanna talk about?" he asked me.

I shrugged. "I don't know, you pick a topic."

"Okay, tell me why you wanted to come to Waffle Island."

I scooted over so Luke could sit on my bed next to me. "Well let's see…where to start…well I lived in a busy city a long ways from here. I really liked the city; there were always places to go see, shopping stores that were huge, and every day was just waiting to be explored."

"Then why did you leave?"

"It's just that…after time went by I felt bored with it. I wanted to go somewhere where there wasn't busy traffic or too many people living around me. I felt crowded and I was suffocating. I needed to just go out into the world. "

"That sounds stressful."

I nodded. "Yeah, it was. So I looked in the newspapers for places I could move to, but nothing looked good enough for me. But then I found a brochure for Waffle Island and it called out to me. It looked like a great place to live. So I packed my bags and left. Now here I am."

Luke smiled. "I'm glad you came here. You're just what the island needed."

I smiled back. "Thanks Luke."

"So do you have any siblings?"

I nodded. "Yeah I have a younger sister. She looks just like me at times. Most people mix us up." I laughed.

Luke chuckled. "I can bet on that one. I wish I had a sib."

"But don't you already have Bo?"

Luke groaned. "Ahh! I wish I didn't have him."

I burst out laughing at him.

For the next hour Luke and I talked about life on the island, how the work was going, and just a bunch of random stuff like that.

After I finished eating Luke took my tray to the sink and quickly washed the dishes. Then he walked over to the door. "I'll leave so you can get changed." he stopped and turned around slowly. "But, I could stay to watch." he said mischievously.

I grabbed a pillow and threw it at him. It hit him square in the face.

"I didn't think so." he replied plainly and then went outside.

I shook my head and got out of bed. I went over to my dresser and pulled on a green t-shirt and a pair of tan shorts. On my way out the door I grabbed my boots and went outside.

As soon as I opened the door I found myself in the middle of a fight.

"What in the world were you thinking? You can't stay in the room when a girl is changing! What are you, a pervert?" Bo yelled.

"No! I was just kidding! Can't you ever take a joke?" Luke yelled.

I cleared my throat and they both turned to me.

"I...I'm not a pervert!" Luke rushed out.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "You're such a dork. Pervy sage." I murmured as I walked over to them.

"Don't you compare me to Jiraiya from 'Naruto'!" Luke yelled.

I laughed. "Oh, I'm sure that you're like his twin."

"Yes you're Jiraiya!" Bo exclaimed as he pointed at Luke.

"Shut up!"

Bo and I laughed.

Then I looked at Bo. "So how's the work going?" I asked him.

"It's going slow. It would go faster if Luke wasn't messing around so much." Bo replied as he glared at Luke.  
>"Hey it isn't my fault that I made Ayame angry."<p>

"Um...yeah it was." I replied.

"Oh."

Bo grabbed a hammer. "All right Luke, no more clowning around. We need to get to work, now." he instructed sternly.

Luke groaned and started working.

* * *

><p>As the day dolled on the day got hotter and hotter by the minute.<br>I was sitting under the tree beside my house with a sketchbook in my lap. I was sketching a person. I didn't really know who I was drawing and I didn't care.

Luke and Bo were rising up the walls around the area where my expansion of the house was going to be.

As Bo and Luke were starting to raise a wall, Luke looked over at me. "Hey Ayame, what are you drawing?"

I looked up at him. "I don't really know. I'm just drawing a random picture of someone."

He let the wall go and walked over to me.

The wall started to fall down on Bo as the weight of it got heavier. Bo struggled to hold it up. "Ah...Luke."

Luke came over and looked over my shoulder.

"I only drew a body." I explained as he saw the little body in my book.

"You know what you should draw, me."

I looked up at his grinning face and smiled back. "Maybe I should."

Luke stepped away a little and flexed his muscles. "Don't forget about my awesome biceps." he grunted.

I giggled.

"LUKE! Help, this wall is getting heavier!" Bo yelled as the wall was weighing down on him.

Luke ignored him and kept flexing.

I looked up at him. "Um...Luke?"

He snapped out of his dream world and looked at Bo. He jumped and ran over to his partner. "Sorry Bo." he apologized as he helped Bo lift up the wall.

"Yeah right, if you weren't staring at your girlfriend then you would've helped me." Bo nagged.

Luke jumped at his comment and let go of the wall. "She's not my girlfriend!"

The weight of the wall crashed on Bo. "Ahhh...Luke! Stop doing that!"

"Why should I help you when you say that Ayame is my girlfriend? She's not!"

Bo groaned. "Luke this isn't funny! Seriously help!"

Luke crossed his arms and looked away. "Nope!"

I burst out laughing. It was like I was watching an anime show. Luke was the hilarious main character who loves to be mean to the crybaby who was Bo. They reminded me of Kyo and Momiji from 'Fruits Basket'. Now only if Luke would give Bo a nuggie like Kyo does to Momiji. Just as that thought came to me Luke yanked Bo from under the wall, which crashed on the ground, and put Bo in a headlock. Then Luke began to rub his fist, roughly, through Bo's sandy blonde hair.

"Ouch! Luke! Quit it!" Bo screamed.

"Nope! Take it back!"

"But you know it's true!"

Luke rubbed his fist harder into Bo's head.

"Wahhhhh! Ayame, he's hurting me!" Bo whined.

I laughed even harder. This was even better than watching 'Fruits Basket.'

"What the heck is going on here?" a voice boomed.

From around my house came Kathy and Owen. Kathy had a basket in her hand.

I smiled at them as they came over and sat down next to me.

Luke and Bo didn't even notice them and continued to fight.

I gestured my hand over to them. "I'm watching anime."

"Awesome! Which one?" Kathy asked.

"'Fruits Basket', I guess they just turned their fight into a show." I replied.

"Correction," Owen corrected as he reached into the basket and pulled out a sandwich. "This is dinner and a movie." he continued as he handed it to me.

I gladly took it and giggled as I continued to watch the fight.

"You spend every day with her, so basically that makes her your girlfriend!" Bo yelled.

"No it does not! She's just my friend!" Luke yelled back.

Kathy rolled her blue eyes and laughed. "Luke fights with Bo just as much as he fights with Gill."

Owen nodded. "Except, there's less name calling. Luke will probably just throw Bo into the water."

Luke dragged Bo over to the edge of the beach in front of my house and threw him into the water.

"I spoke too soon." Owen admitted.

Bo surfaced and glared at Luke. "Hey! That's not fair!"

Luke dusted off his hands. "Yeah it is, you insult me, and you get thrown into the ocean." Then he walked over to us. "Is there an extra sandwich in there?" he asked Owen as he glanced at the basket.

Owen pulled a sandwich out and handed it to Luke.

Luke took a bite. "So...what are you guys doing here?" he asked with a mouthful of food.

"We thought you guys would be hungry." Kathy replied.

"So Kathy and I packed a basket and headed over there." Owen added.

"Thank you guys." I thanked as I munched on my sandwich.

"Hey, it was nothing. Just helping our friends." said Kathy.

"By the way Luke, that was some show you guys put on. We even had our own little dinner and a movie going on. Wish there was more." Owen wished.

Luke stuffed the rest of his sandwich in his mouth. He chewed for a few minutes and then swallowed. He grinned. "Well, if you want a double feature, then here it goes." he said mysteriously as he looked at Bo, who was dragging himself onto the sand.

Then he looked back at us. "And now, our feature presentation." he announced to us then ran down the small hill in front of my house over to Bo.

"May I present to you, 'Water world'!" Luke yelled up to us.

Bo looked at Luke in horror. "No! Luke don't!"

But it was no use. Luke charged at Bo and tackled him into the ocean again. This time Luke went in with him.

Kathy, Owen, and I howled with laughter.

They both surfaced and Bo tackled Luke.

"I've got to admit, this live movie is better than the real movie." Owen admitted.

"I agree." said Kathy.

I nodded along with them.

This is one of the best days ever. Hanging out with your friends makes it even better.

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><p><strong>Well what did you guys think? I hope you liked it. Okay the joke that I made was that at some festival I was sitting with my parents watching the festivities when a couple of boys started throwing stress balls at each other that looked like mini planet earths. So then I said "hey look it's dinner and a movie, 'War of the Worlds'." My family couldn't stop laughing and thought it was hilarious. So I had to put that joke into this story. Anyways, I hoped you all liked this chapter. Please review and message me. Thanks!<strong>


	8. Roommates for the Night

**Hey everyone! I'm really sorry it's taken me so long to work on this one. I've been extremely busy with school. I have finals next week and it's been really stressful. As soon as they're over, I can have more time to work on my stuff. So I really hope that you like this chapter. It's kind of funny and sweet, so I really hope you enjoy this one. I'll try to have the next one out in awhile from now. Please review and message me; comments are always appreciated. Enjoy! **

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.**

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><p>"I know who did it. Hotdog! I know who did it!" Luke announced.<p>

We all leaned in closely to hear Luke. We had been trying to figure this out for hours now and finally we had solved it.

"Colonel Mustard in the dining room with the lead pipe!" he announced.

"No! It can't be!" Owen yelled in denial.

Kathy and I began to laugh like a couple of hyenas.

Here we were playing a classic game of 'Clue' and now Luke starts quoting Bernie Mac from 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'. Yep, that's what happens when you base your entire day on movies and TV shows. First 'Fruits Basket', then 'Waterworld', and now 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'. Wow, it would take me all day to watch all of those movies. But I think I prefer the 'Waffle Island' versions more.

"Yeah, I'm saying it was Colonel Mustard in the dining room with the lead pipe!" Luke repeated.

"No way! Why don't you just look inside the envelope then?" Owen suggested.

Luke picked up the answer envelope and opened it. "Fine then." he said as he pulled out the cards. "Colonel Mus...tard." he stopped as he looked at them.

Owen burst out laughing. "I was right! It wasn't Colonel Mustard! I'm saying it was Professor Plum in the Conservatory with the candle stick." he said as he took the envelope from a depressed Luke.

Owen laughed until he pulled out the cards. Suddenly his face went white.

Kathy and I burst out laughing at their depressed looks.

"Looks like you were wrong too Owen." said Kathy.

"Yeah, and now, you're both out of the game." I agreed.

Both guys slumped in their seats, groaning.  
>Kathy picked up the Clue envelope. "Okay I'll say it was Miss Scarlet in the library with the monkey wrench." she said as she opened the envelope.<p>

As she pulled out the cards her face was in astonishment. "I got it right!" she screamed as she jumped out of her chair and started doing a victory dance.

"All right!" I shouted as I got up with her and started dancing.

"You didn't even win Ayame." Luke complained.

"So what? I didn't guess wrong like you guys did." I replied as I continued to dance.

After twenty minutes of dancing like a couple of idiots, we all sat down for dinner.

Kathy went back to the Inn earlier and brought a big pepperoni pizza back for us.

Bo went home after Luke's little double feature at out dinner and a movie, since he was soaked.

Luke, however, ran home, changed into dry clothes, and then he ran back here to continue our little party.  
>Luke and Bo didn't get much work done, due to Kathy and Owen showing up, plus we were having too much fun to even think about working on my house.<p>

Luke shoved a piece of pizza into his mouth.

"Luke, don't eat your pizza in one bite. You'll get sick." Kathy warned.

Luke grabbed another piece and shoved it into his mouth. "Ah, you worry too much." he said after her swallowed it.

"She is right you know." Owen agreed with Kathy.

Kathy patted his arm. "Aw thank you Owen."

Owen's face turned pink, embarrassed at Kathy's gesture.

Luke started snickering at Owen's face.  
>I punched his arm and he stopped to rub his sore arm.<p>

"Ouch, man you hit like a guy." he grunted.

I kicked his shin under the table.  
>He squinted his eyes. "Kick like one too." he added painfully.<p>

I put my fist up ready to punch him, making him flinch before I could make a move. "Do you want to be hit again?"

"No, ow." he whimpered.

Kathy laughed. "You called Gill a wimp because Ayame dragged him to the beach? Now you're getting punched by Ayame and you're whining. Man, you'd better think about it but I think you're the wimp now. "

Owen pounded his fist on the table and pointed at Luke. "Luke's a little girl. Luke's a little girl." Owen sang.

Luke shot up from his chair. "I am not a little girl!"  
>"Yes you are." Owen sang.<p>

Luke held up his fists. "You wanna repeat that?" he asked as he cracked his knuckles.

"Yeah, Luke's a little gi-gahh" he stopped because Luke literally jumped across the table and tackled Owen to the floor.

Kathy and I shot up from our seats and ran over to them to find them wrestling on the floor.

"Stop it you guys!" I yelled.

Luke suddenly stopped and held his stomach.

Owen stopped and looked in horror at Luke. "Oh no."

Luke got up and put his hand over his mouth. "I'm gonna barf." he muffled through his hand.

I grabbed his arm and pulled him to the bathroom. "Don't barf on my clean floor!"

He ran inside and shut the door.

Suddenly we heard Luke making gagging noises.

"I told you not to eat that much!" Kathy called into the bathroom.

"Shut up Kat-" Luke stopped to start barfing again.

Owen twisted his face in disgust. "I think I'm gonna go home now. I'd rather not get nightmares from Luke puking in there." Owen said as he made his way to the front door.

"Me too. It's getting kind of late and I kind of don't want to stick around with Luke when he's sick." Kathy said.

"It's alright. Thanks for coming over today. I had a lot of fun." I thanked them.

"No prob. We had fun too. I hope Luke feels better." she replied.  
>"Yeah me too." Owen agreed as he turned the door knob and headed outside.<p>

"Oh Owen! Tell Bo that Luke's going to be a little late coming home." I called to him.

"Will do!"

Kathy grabbed her basket and hugged me. "Good luck with Peppy Le Puke in there."

"Thanks."

Kathy waved at me one more time, shutting the front door as she stepped outside.

I knocked on the bathroom door. "Luke, are you okay?"

It took a minute for a response.

"No." replied a muffled groan.

"Do you need any medicine?"

"Yes, please." Luke moaned.

I went over to the pantry cupboard and pulled out a bottle of 'Pepto Bismo'. Then I grabbed a spoon and filled up a cup of water. I slowly walked over to the bathroom door. "Luke, can I come in?"

"Yeah." he groaned.

I put the Pepto Bismo in my arm and opened the door.

Luke was on the floor clutching the toilet with his head hanging over it. He groaned as he looked up at me. He looked horrible. "I'm sick." he moaned.

"You look terrible too." I said as I set the cup of water and the Pepto Bismo along with the spoon on the sink counter.

Suddenly Luke began barfing again.

A horrible aroma of rotten pizza went into my nose. I felt like I was going to be sick now. I held my nose and gripped the sink counter.  
>After Luke was done he started taking deep breaths. "Pant...Pant...Pant...I hate this!" Luke yelled out loud.<p>

I let go of my nose and looked down at Luke. "I can tell." Then I leaned down to Luke's level. "Can you lean against the wall?"

He slowly nodded and let go of the toilet to lie against the wall.

I grabbed the bottle of Pepto Bismo and opened the cap. Then I grabbed the spoon and the cup of water. I put the water on the floor so I could pour the medicine onto the spoon.

I put the spoon up to his face. "Here's some medicine."

Luke kept his mouth shut and turned his head away.  
>I sighed. "Come on Luke, you need to drink this or you're going to get sicker by the minute."<p>

"I'm not drinking that." he mumbled.

I gently grabbed his chin and turned his face to me.

His half lidded eyes met mine.  
>"Please Luke, drink this." I said softly.<p>

He waited a few moments and then hesitantly opened his mouth.

I put the spoon into his mouth until he swallowed it. Then I picked up the cup and handed it to him.  
>He took it from me and took a few sips.<p>

"There, that wasn't so bad."

He weakly smiled.  
>When he finished his water I took it and set it on the counter. "Can you stand?"<p>

He shrugged his shoulders. "I need help."

I put his arm over my shoulders and helped him to his feet. Then we slowly left the bathroom and walked over to the couch. I gently lifted his arm and laid him down on the couch.  
>He groaned when he lay down.<p>

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

He put his hand on his forehead. "I feel like crap."

"Well next time that you decide to stuff ten slices of pizza, _**whole**_, into your mouth remember that you'll just be hurling for the next few hours." I advised.

"You've got that right." he replied as he closed his eyes.

Then from out of nowhere, I let out something I didn't expect to say. "You know, you can spend the night here."

His eyes shot open and he stared at me in shock. "Are you nuts? My dad just said yesterday that I'm not allowed to sleepover at your house. And there will be no '_**funny business'**_." he said and emphasized on Dale's quote.

"You're too sick to go home. You can just spend the night and then you can go home tomorrow. And there will be no 'funny business' either." I explained.

He relaxed. "Okay. But none of this gets to my dad okay?"

"Of course not. I promise." I smiled as grabbed a blanket and a pillow from my bed. Then I gently lifted his head and put the pillow underneath. Carefully, I covered him up with the blanket.  
>He weakly smiled. "Thank you Ayame."<p>

I smiled. "You're welcome."

I went into the bathroom to clean up the mess and changed into my pajamas.

"I'm sorry about the mess. I'm just a problem causer." Luke called from the other room.

"Oh, don't apologize, it's fine. There's no harm done to this place."

I came back out and turned out the lights.

The moonlight shined through the windows so it was easier to see where I was going in the dark.

I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up to my neck. Then I looked towards the end of my bed to see the back of the couch. "Luke, are you okay?" I asked into the darkness.

"Yeah."

I smiled and stared at the ceiling.

"I'm sorry that I made so much trouble for you," he spoke. "and for spending the night."

I rolled my eyes. "It's fine Luke. I don't mind having someone here. It's actually quite comforting."

"Why's that?"

I sighed. "Sometimes...I get kind of...lonely."

It got silent.

"Lonely? How are you lonely?"

"Well, when I was living in the city, I had a room that was connected with my sister. We got along really well and we always checked on each other during the night. It was like living with a roommate and things were great." Then I paused. "But, now that I'm living on my own, I feel a little lonely being all by myself. The house just feels empty at times." I explained.

The room got really silent; the only thing I could hear was the wind blowing through the trees outside and my own breathing.

"I know how you must be feeling, but you're not alone Ayame. You've got all of your friends with you. Owen, Kathy, Bo, and everyone else. And right now, you've got me." Luke replied.

I listened to him as I looked up at the ceiling.

"You may not have a roommate anymore, but you've still got friends who care and love to be around with you. You're not alone here on this island. All of your friends are there for you."

I could picture all of my friends smiling together. And in the middle I could see myself having fun.

"And when you think about it, you have a roommate for tonight."

I smiled. "Thank you Luke. I guess you're right."

I heard him chuckle in the dark. "Of course I'm right, I am Luke. The awesome carpenter of Waffle Island."

I giggled at his self-made title.

"You know, if I had to pick anyone to be roommates with, I'd definitely pick you."

"Thanks Ayame." Then he sighed. "All right. Well I'd better get to sleep; I can't be sick for tomorrow. I got a lot of work to do. Good night Ayame."

"Night Luke. Sleep tight."

"Don't let the bed bugs bite." he added.

We both started laughing at our own joke.

I guess we are roommates for tonight and I couldn't have picked a better roommate.

After the laughing died down, I could hear a light snore. Luke must have fallen asleep.

Giving into temptation to sleep, I shut my eyes and waited to slip into dreamland.

I guess Luke's right, I'm not alone.

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><p><strong>Well what did you guys think? Was it good? I hope it was. A little cute moment between Luke and Ayame. What will happen next? Well you'll find out next time. Please review and message me. Thanks everyone! <strong>


	9. Pointing Out The Obvious

**Hey everyone! I'm sooo sorry it's taken me this long to update this chapter. I've been really busy with my college finals, my holiday break from school, and a bit of writer's block. For some of you know that this story was already posted on Quizilla, well I've edited this story a bit to make it sound a little different and to understand a lot better. Well this chapter went through a lot of editing and it's taken me awhile to come up with the ideas to put in. Anyways I hope you like this chapter because it's a lot longer than all of the previous chapters. I love your reviews and comments about this story. I really appreciate them. Well anyways, I hope you like this. Please review and message me. Enjoy!  
><strong>

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.**

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><p>A slight knock on the door woke me up from a dead sleep. Light from the outside shined through the window into my face. It was morning.<p>

As the knocking on the door continued I glanced over at my alarm clock. It read '6:45 A.M.'.

'Who could be here this early in the morning?' I thought as I got out of bed and walked towards the door.

On my way I stopped and looked at the couch, noticing something that wasn't right.

Luke was sprawled out on the couch, snoring as loud as a lawn mower.

I almost forgot that he spent the night. He looked so cute….despite the snoring part.

I couldn't help but smile as I tip-toed past him. Opening the door I came face to face with a very frantic Bo standing outside.

"Where's Luke?" he boomed.

"Shhhhhhh! He's sleeping!" I whispered in a harsh voice.

Bo shut his mouth.

"Give me a minute." I whispered as I went back inside.

I went into the bathroom to quickly change into a black t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts. I grabbed my boots and went out the door. Then I quietly shut the door behind me and faced Bo.  
>"What is going on here? Luke never came home last night! And now I find him sleeping over at your house! That was Dale's most important rule that he broke!" he yelled.<p>

I shushed him again and he shut his mouth.

"Okay, first, quit shouting."

He seemed to shut up now.

"Second, Luke got sick last night because he ate too much."  
>Bo crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. "Typical Luke." he groaned.<p>

"Nevertheless, he was too sick to walk home last night so I let him crash on the couch. Please, don't tell Dale. He was in pretty bad shape." I pleaded.

Bo hesitated for a moment. "Fine, I won't tell him."

I hugged him. "Thank you Bo!"

He hugged me back. "Yeah, yeah." he said and pulled back. "So what are we supposed to do now? Luke's still sleeping and there's tons of work to be done."

"I guess I can be Luke's replacement for now." I replied.

Bo handed me a hammer. "Okay then, let's get to work."

Over the next couple hours Bo and I worked on finishing the walls of the house. We were actually getting work done today; well maybe not _**that**_ much, but at least it was more than yesterday.

Bo looked over at me. "Hey, you're doing pretty good Ayame." he acknowledged.

I smiled up at him. "Thanks."

"Are you sure you weren't a carpenter back in the city?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding me? This is probably the first time I've ever worked with a hammer and nails."

Bo laughed. "At least you're not hitting your fingers when you hit the nail." He said as he held up his hand, showing some of his fingers that were bright red.

I couldn't help but laugh at it. Working with Bo was actually a lot of fun.

"How's the work coming?" a voice asked.

We both looked behind us to find Luke standing there with frizzy bed hair.

I started to snicker. "Nice hair Luke."

He put his hands on his head. "It's not funny!" he whined.

"Yes it is!" Bo taunted.

"Shut up Bo!" Luke yelled.

I giggled.

Luke pulled his bandanna out of his pants pocket and tied it over his messy blue hair. Then he made his way over to me. "I can take over now Ayame. You can take a rest."

I handed him the hammer I was using. "It's all yours."

I went back inside of the house and into the kitchen. It felt like they deserved a nice lunch, made by yours truly.

I made a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and poured two tall glasses of lemonade. Then I put them on a tray and headed back outside with the tray in my hands.

"Hey guys! I brought you a few snacks!" I called to them.  
>They both looked up at me and stopped working. "Food!" they both shouted, throwing down their tools and running over to me. Both of them grabbed a sandwich and a glass.<p>

"Thanks!" Bo said.

"Yeah, thanks Ayame." Luke thanked.  
>I set the tray on the porch. "No problem guys."<p>

I looked over at Luke, who was shoving the sandwich into his mouth. "Hey Luke, do you mind if I go into town? I've got a few errands to run?"

Luke swallowed his mouthful of sandwich so he could speak. "Sure, I don't mind. If you've got chores to do, then do them. Bo and I can handle the building." he answered.  
>I smiled in response and ran into the house.<p>

I took a quick shower and changed my clothes. I put on a green shirt with two small buttons at the collar and a pair of jean shorts. Grabbing my boots and my backpack, I headed back outside.

Luke looked over at me with another sandwich hanging out of his mouth, watching me lace up my boots. He was also hammering a board to the house.

I looked at him stupidly. "Dude, are you trying to multi-task?"  
>He nodded.<p>

I rolled my eyes and exhaled. I should have guessed instead of asking.

As soon as I got my boots on I stood up and slung my backpack over my shoulder. "Okay I'm heading into town. I'll be back in a few hours." I said as I started walking away.

"See ya later!" Bo called.

I could faintly hear Luke muffling a good-bye. I laughed to myself as I waved behind my back at them.

"Why hello there Miss Ayame. What a pleasant surprise seeing you here." Shelly greeted as I walked into the Tailor shop.

"Hi Shelly." I greeted.

Candace was sitting at a table in the corner of the front room using a little sewing machine. She looked up at with her soft grayish eyes. "H-hi, Ayame." she greeted meekly.

I smiled at her.

Over the last few weeks that I've been here, I've gotten really close to Candace. Her shyness was so adorable and she was sweet all the time. It was always calming to be around her.

Julius came out of the backroom with a green dress in his hands. "Shelly, this dress needs more design. It's too plain." he complained.

Shelly took the dress and held it up.  
>Julius looked over at me and waved his fingers at me. "Hello Ayame." he sang.<p>

Okay this guy really scares me.

As for Julius…well let's just say that I avoid him at all costs.

Shelly examined the dress. "Hmmm...well it could use a little beading on the chest part of this. Candace dear?" she asked as she looked over at the shy seamstress.

"Y-yes grandma?" she stuttered.

"I need you to come up with a beautiful pattern of beads for this dress." Shelly instructed.

Julius threw his arms up into the air in frustration. "Why does she get to design it? I've got better fashion and designing ideas than that little mouse does!" Julius yelled and pointed at Candace.

Candace's eyes started welling up with tears.

"Julius!" Shelly yelled.

Julius rolled his ruby red eyes.

"Don't you start! You're hurting Candace's feelings!" Shelly scolded.

I walked over to Candace and hugged her. She hugged me back and cried into my shoulder. "It's okay Candace." I whispered softly.

"Why should you even bother? She's almost seventeen and she acts like she's five." Luna taunted as she came out of the backroom.  
>I looked at her, slightly shocked at her tone.<p>

"She's just as stupid as you are." She said as she looked directly at me. "You think that you're _**all**_ that just because you're a farmer. You think that everyone likes you, well they don't! They all hate you!"

Out of the blue, I could feel my eyes slightly water at her comment.

"That's enough!" Shelly yelled.

Everyone in the room was silent, scared of the angry little old woman.

"Luna, you're grounded." Shelly told her.

Luna's pink eyes widened. "Grounded? But why?" she whined.

"We don't treat our customers that way! And you know better to not make fun of your sister! And especially, you do not insult Ayame like that! Now go to your room!" she commanded.

Luna hugged her bunny close to her. "But Grandma!" she whined.

Shelly pointed a boney finger to the backroom. "Now!"

Luna stomped her foot and marched into the backroom.

Then Shelly looked at Julius. "Now you apologize to Candace."

Julius sighed and walked over to us. He tugged on his furry red coat and sighed again. "I'm sorry Candace." he murmured.

Candace wiped her tear streaked face. "I-its ok-ay Ju-Julius." she stuttered quietly.

Julius turned his back to us and walked back over to Shelly who was still holding the dress.

I felt a small tug on my sleeve. "I-I don't hate you. A-Ayame." Candace stuttered.

I smiled. "Thanks Candace. That makes me feel a lot better." I thanked as I blinked away the almost falling tears.

I stood up straight and walked over to Shelly. "Shelly?"

She turned her attention to me. "Do you need something Dearie?"

"Is there any chance that you could make me a bandanna?"

Shelly handed Julius the green dress. "Sure, just tell me the design." she replied as she grabbed a pin and paper.

"I want it to be blue with green flames." I explained.

"Is that all?" she asked as she wrote down the information.

I nodded.

"We should have it done by Thursday." she explained.

I smiled. "That's perfect."

Shelly looked back at Julius. "Julius, why don't you start on something else for now and then I'll come to help with that dress."

Julius nodded, walking into the back room.

Then Shelly turned her attention back to me. "I am so sorry for my granddaughter's nasty comments. She doesn't mean that. She's just having a bad day and is taking it out on everyone."

"It's okay, I understand."

Shelly sighed. "Apparently she tried to ask a young man to the Sundae Inn for lunch, but the she was turned down. She was crushed when she came home."

I looked down at my shoes. "Oh, that's too bad. Well I hope she feels better."

"Me too."

"Well I'd better be going; I've got more errands to do today." I said and walked towards the door. "Thank you Shelly."

She smiled. "You're welcome Dearie. We'll see you later."

"B-bye Ayame." Candace stuttered."

I waved to them and went outside.

As I walked along the line of shops on the coastline, I began to think about what Luna said to me earlier.

Okay, I may be strong on _**some**_ mean comments, even from a little girl. But that comment, felt like a stab to my body. I knew it wasn't true, but for some reason I felt upset about it.

Then I shook my head. 'I can't let that get to me. Remember what Luke said last night.' I told myself.

I know that people do like me. Well maybe not everyone, but still.

As I stopped worrying about the whole Luna thing, I found myself in front of the On The Hook bait shop.

A man in a captain's outfit was unloading some crates from a ferry boat that was docked next to the shop. He looked up at me and waved. "Ahoy Miss Ayame!"

It was Captain Pascal.

I went up to the dock where he was standing. "Ahoy Captain Pascal!"

"I haven't seen you since I brought you to the island. How are you?"

"I'm just fine." I replied.

"That's good to hear. I'm sorry about when you hit your head. Trust me Lassie, I owe you a favor."

"Oh no, I couldn't. You didn't do anything wrong." I assured.

Pascal picked up a crate. "I insist, you were supposed to come to this island excited as you walked across the dock, but you ended up being carried to the Inn unconscious. I apologize." he insisted.

I smiled. "I forgive you."

He smiled with a pipe between his lips. Then he looked down at the crates. "Miss Ayame? Do you know the Mayor's son, Gill?"

I nodded my head. How could I forget about the pompous rich boy?  
>"Could you do me a favor? I need to take these crates of books up to Town Hall for the library but I need to get to my next destination quickly. Could you take them up for me?" he asked.<p>

I nodded my head in reply. "Sure I can do it."

He put a crate in my hands. The crate was small but very heavy.

"I'm sorry if they're heavy." he apologized.  
>"It's okay. I can handle it."<p>

Pascal smiled. "Thank you Lassie."

He boarded his ship and waved good-bye to me. I smiled at him and began to make my way to Town Hall.  
>I carefully walked up the stairs and walked up to the front door. Then I looked down at the box, defeated. 'Crap, I've got no free hands.'<p>

I managed to kick at the door a few times with my foot.

A few seconds later Elli answered the door and gasped."Ayame! Here let me help you." she said as she grabbed one edge of the crate and helped me bring it inside.

When we were in we set the crate on the ground.  
>"What on earth is in that crate?" she asked.<p>

I tried to catch my breath. "Books." I panted.

"Goodness. That must be a lot of books."

"There's still more crates at the dock." I told her.

She sighed. "That's great." she replied sarcastically.

"Elli, is someone...oh, it's you." a voice sighed.

I looked towards the steps of the library to find Gill standing there, in all of his snobbiness.

"Yes, Ayame has that shipment of books for the library." Elli explained.

Gill raised an eyebrow and walked over to us. Then he looked down the crate. "Is this all of the books?"

"No, there are still a few more crates down at the dock. I'll go get the rest." I said as I walked towards the door.

"That won't be necessary." Gill said, stopping my movement.

"Why?" I asked glancing back at him.

He flipped his bangs back. "Because, I told Owen to pick them up too. I saw the ferry boat dock awhile ago so I already called him." he explained.

"Pascal asked _**me**_ to bring them."

Just then the door flew open and Owen came in with three crates in his arms. He dropped them on the ground and wiped his forehead. "Whew, that was quite and exercise. Those things are heavy." he panted.

"Thank you Owen. I just need one more favor before you go." Gill replied.

"What's that?" Owen asked.

Gill pointed to the library stairs. "Carry them up to the library."

Owen sighed. "Okay." He picked them up and headed towards the stairs.  
>I picked up the last crate and followed Owen.<p>

"And what do you think you're doing? I didn't ask for _**your**_ help." Gill asked snobbishly.

I stopped and looked at him. "I'm helping, whether you like it or not." I rebutted and continued up the stairs.

Sheesh that guy is such a jerk.

Of course we've had our good moments, but today he was just a big old grouch again. I highly doubted that I could make him smile today.

As soon as I made it up the stairs I dropped the crate and collapsed on top of it. My chest was going up in down while my lungs searched for air. "Stupid crate."

Owen laughed. "Yeah, I hate them too. But I get used to them. Gill always calls me when there's crates to deliver." he panted.

"Why?"

"I'm really strong." he replied.

'Oh, so he doesn't think that I am?' I asked myself.

Gill came up the stairs, staring at me as I lay across the crate. "This is exactly why I told you not to carry them. You'll just tire yourself out." he said and looked at Owen. "Thank you for your time Owen."

Owen stretched his muscular arms. "No problem. I'll see ya later." he replied as he went back downstairs.

Gill turned his attention to me.  
>I sat up and narrowed my eyes at him as he stared back at me, holding a steel crowbar in his hand.<p>

"What?" I asked.

"Why do you insist on helping out when I keep telling you not to?"

I put my hands on my waist. "Hey, I can help if I want to. I don't need you telling me what to do."

He glared at me. "I'm not telling you what to do, I'm just informing you that I have it all handled and I don't need any your help."

I raised an eyebrow. "What? That's the same thing!"

"No it isn't. Besides, you'll just get in my way of my work like you always do."

I stood up to my feet. "_**I**_ get in the way of your work? How's that work exactly?"

"Well let's see, you interrupt me when I'm working on very important projects for the town. In fact, the day you dragged me to the beach, I was busy working on building permits for some new houses that are going to be built over the next few weeks."

"So, that was one thing. It's not like I do it on a daily basis."

His lips formed into a line. "Well maybe you'll start to make it a daily routine for yourself."

Was this guy bipolar or something? First he's nasty as possible to me when I get here, then he seems fine with me after the whole beach thing and the Flower Festival, and now he's even nastier and grouchier then anything. I don't understand this guy.

I groaned as I pressed a hand to my forehead. "You are such a grouchy priss."

His eyes widened. "A grouchy priss?"

"Yeah that's what I said." I snapped at him, causing him to step back a little.

He regained his composure and set the crowbar on the crate. "Then explain to me how I'm such a grouchy priss."

Oh, this was gonna be fun.

I'm not normally this mean to people, but in this case, I had to say something. This guy was driving me nuts.

I pursed my lips. "Let's see, for starters, you don't leave your office for practically anything."

He crossed my arms. "And what's wrong with that?"

"It's not right to stay in your office all day. You should at least go out for some fresh air or something."

He scoffed. "I do go outside to take walks."

My eyebrows rose. "Really? Then why don't I see you when you take those walks?"

He stared at me, obviously not answering the question.

"You know it's true." I pointed out.

He frowned. "Give me another reason why I'm a grouchy priss."

I smirked. "Gladly." Then I rested up against a small bookshelf. "You don't allow anyone to help you when you need the help."

"That's because I prefer to do it all alone. I don't like other people getting in my way."

"So if you're in dire need of assistance, you don't want any help what's so ever."

He shook his head. "Nope, I'm very capable of my own life. So why don't you just say your last reason so you can leave me to my work."

I stood up straight. "That's the main reason. You don't like to be around anyone. You're like a hermit."

He contorted his face. "How am I like a hermit?"

I started slowly pacing back and forth. "Where to begin? Okay, first, we'll start with the fact that you don't talk to anyone."

"I talk to people."

"Discussing financials and business stuff doesn't count. I mean just having a casual conversation with someone."

He didn't respond this time.

I guess that was a sign for me to continue. "Another thing that proves that is because you don't take breaks from work to go out with anyone. I never see anyone with you when you go out to lunch or to a festival."

"I'm there on business most of the time."

I sighed. "You need to stop working and do something other than besides work. Don't you have any friends that hang around with you so you can have a good time?"

He shrugged. "I don't need friends to have a good time. I'm fine being on my own."

"But don't you ever feel lonely?"

His ice cold blue eyes stared directly into my soft brown eyes.

I could see something different about them. It was like he knew exactly what I meant.

Then he looked away from me. "I'm never lonely. I just like to be alone."

It sounded like a lie in a small sense, but then it sounded like it was true at the same time. Maybe Gill just liked to be alone. There _**were **_people in the world who don't like other people and preferred to be alone, but for some reason he didn't seem like he should be.

My anger towards him finally cooled down, realizing that I was getting mad over something stupid. If he wants to work on this project alone, then I should just stay out of his business and go back home with Luke and Bo. At least they'll probably be in a better mood than this guy.

Maybe Luna was right; maybe not everyone likes me. I mean she already didn't. I knew Selena had it out for me. Now, I guess Gill isn't a big fan of me either.

I huffed out a breath. "Look, I know I'm completely changing my mood, but I sound like a complete idiot."

He met my gaze again, not glaring at me anymore.

"I know I basically just insulted you by pointing out why you're such a grouch, but I…I shouldn't be saying that sort of stuff. I'm sorry; I'm not normally this mean towards anyone."

He looked shocked as I told him this.

"I just thought that you might have wanted some help with this, seeing that it's gonna take a few weeks by yourself, but it's not my place to make the choices here." I brushed off my shirt. "I'll just go. Again, I'm really sorry." I told him as I started to walk towards the stairs.

Suddenly I felt someone grab my arm. "Wait."

I looked over my shoulder to find Gill holding my arm.

"Don't leave."

I turned back around to face him. "Why?"

He released my arm and looked down at his shoes. "I…I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have been…how you put it a 'grouchy priss' and I shouldn't have acted inappropriately towards you. I've been having a rough day…and I guess it's affected me."

I was stunned. His attitude had made a complete 180 degree turn. I wonder what changed his mind.

"You…you don't have to leave. You can stay and help me out with sorting these books." He said as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

I knit my brows together. "You really want me to stay and help? But I thought that you didn't want any help."

Dropping his hand from his face, he sighed. "I know what I said. A little company wouldn't hurt. Besides, you might have a point; it's going to take me a few weeks here by myself. If you help, maybe this will get done faster."

I gave him a soft smile. "Really?"

He nodded as he picked the crowbar back up. "Let's get to work."

"Okie dokie."

He pried one of the boxes open. "Just take a stack of books and start sorting."  
>I walked over and grabbed a stack of books. "What do I do with these? I mean, how do I sort them?"<p>

"Sort them by reference section and author." he instructed.

I put the books on the floor and began to sort. "So, why have you been having a rough day?"

He looked down at me, sighing. "I guess…I guess it's the fact that I've worked for two days straight."

"How would you define 'worked two days straight'?"

"I…I've only slept maybe a couple hours in the last few days. As in, about one hour a night."

My mouth dropped. How can this guy function when he's on two hours of sleep?

"I've been busy with paperwork and I need to work on it. Sleep is the last thing I have to do."

"But you can't do this to yourself; it's not healthy."

He looked back at the pile of books he was sorting.

"I don't mean to get into your business or anything, but maybe if you slept a little bit more, then you won't be so grouchy towards everyone."

He met my gaze again. "So you think that a little sleep will affect me?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I think it should."

"Hmmm maybe I'll set my paperwork off to the side for tonight." He said as he went back to work.

Well he seems to like my advice.

We got through sorting one of the crates in about two hours. It was true, we were actually getting a lot done when it was the both of us working together. This was turning from a bad start into...well a better one.

"So how's the training going?" Gill asked.

I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. "You actually want to know about my training?"

"Yes, I'm curious to know about what Luke is doing with you. And I want to know if he's pushing you too hard." he replied.

"What? Are you worried about me or something?"

"Well, Luke does a lot of hard training and I'm concerned about you?"

"In other words, you're worried about me?" I stated the obvious.

"No, I said I was concerned." he pointed out.

I smirked up at him. "Sounds like Gilly's worried about me."

He shook his head. "Pfft, please." he replied sarcastically.

I sat up on my knees. "I'm serious. You hate Luke, so why would you be asking about his training with me?"

"That's none of your concern." he replied as he put a few books on the shelf.

"Oh, here we go again with the concern thing." I huffed.

"I just don't want to hear that you died while training with Luke. I mean you were concerned about my health, so I'm just returning your gesture." he replied finally.

He did have a point.

"Pfft, I'm not gonna die out there."

"I know."

"Then why are you worried so much?" I asked.

Gill huffed and stopped working. "Can we please change the subject? This is becoming pointless to fight about."

I sat on the floor quietly, nodding my head.

He sighed and went back to sorting books.

I started sorting the books in front of me. History goes over there; science goes over here, blah, blah-blah, blah-blah. It's so boring.

I fell backwards and stared at the ceiling. Gill was upside down in my view so I pointed and laughed. "Gilly's upside down!"

He huffed and glared at me. "Quit calling me 'Gilly'."

"Okay Gilly." I replied and saluted him.

He groaned and continued to work.

"Why are you so grouchy all the time? I mean besides today. You always seem to be bothered by something." I asked.

"That's just the way I act when I'm bothered."

"That's not a reason. What is it that makes you so grouchy?" I repeated.

He hesitated for a moment and then sighed. "I guess it may just be stress."

"Stress? Is it because you work so hard?"

"You could say that. I'm always working."

I sat back, leaning on my arms. "Why? Why do you work so much all the time?"

"I want to become Mayor. I have to prove myself that I can handle the responsibilities of being in charge of this island."

"So working yourself to death will prove that you can handle this kind of stuff.""

"If it will help me become the Mayor, then yes."

"But you do know that it doesn't require only paperwork and business. There's also socializing with the town and having positive relationships with the residents."

He stared at me, confused. "How do you know that kind of stuff?"

I shrugged. "I read a lot of history books. You've got to keep your relationships with the people positive so you can help tend to their needs. Kind of like during the age of Kings and Queens. They listened to their people and helped them out with their problems."

He nodded slowly. "Interesting, I've never heard of it put like that before. I think I'll use that advice to my advantage. Thank you."

I smiled. "No problem."

Then I laid on my stomach, glancing at all of the books."Don't you ever take a break; you know, from work?" I questioned.

"I don't have time for breaks. I'm way too busy."

"Well maybe if you took a break once in awhile, then maybe you wouldn't be so cold all the time. It could give you a chance to go talk to the residents about what they want or need for their life here. It would be like a socializing break for yourself." I assured him.  
>He grabbed his stack of books and walked over to a shelf. Then he began to put them one by one onto an empty shelf. "I'll think about it."<p>

I couldn't help but smile. He was actually taking my advice. I felt like I was breaking down his barriers from everyone. If we continued to talk like this, maybe I could help him improve his social skills with everyone. I wouldn't mind helping him become Mayor. If he was this determined, then I was willing to help out.

Even though he was an old grouchy priss sometimes, maybe there was something more to him.

I mean if he was friends with Luke for a long time and then suddenly stopped being his friend one day, I want to crack that case. I want to find out what's on this guy's mind.

Well it looks like I've added another goal to my list that involves Gill.

**Ayame's List of Goals Involving Gill:**

1. Make Gill Smile

2. Find More About Gill

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><p><strong>Well what did you think? Was it good? I hope it was. I didn't want to make Gill that mean, but I did it for the stor<strong>**y. But don't worry, Gill won't have any more of those bad moments for awhile. From the looks of the reviews, it looks like most of you are already on Team Luke. Well a lot could happen in the next few chapters that could change your minds. I'm just waiting for it! Haha Anyways, I really hoped that you all enjoyed this chapter. Please review and message me, it's kind of a self-confidence boost and it's a great way to talk to people. I really enjoy reading your reviews. I'll try to get the next chapter out sooner than this one. Sadly I'll have to go back to college next week and it will be a little more difficult to get chapters out since I've got five classes and most of them are night ones. But rest assured, I'll try to get them out. Thanks everyone! **


	10. Carpenters  Spaghetti  Trouble

**Hey everyone! I am soooooo sorry for the wait. College started up again and the homework has already been piling up. It's getting really hard to work on this and still work on school homework. Trust me, I don't like it at all. Anyways, I think you'll really enjoy this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing this and I did get a little emotional with the ending. I really hope that you all enjoy this. Please review and message me, they are all greatly accepted and I appreciate them a lot. Thanks everyone! Enjoy!**

****NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.****

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><p>"About time you came back. Where have you been?" Luke asked as I walked across the bridge over to my house.<p>

"Sorry, I was working in the in the library. They got a new shipment of books in and I was helping Gill sort them." I explained.

Gill and I ended up working in the Town Hall library for about five hours, sorting books and talking in between. Obviously we both got tired of working so we just called it a day and said that we could continue working on this tomorrow. I'm surprised that Gill wants me to come back after that whole big fight that we had earlier. But I guess he's trying to get along with me.

Luke rolled his eyes. "Sissy Prissy Boy again? What is with that guy?"

"You just hate it that Ayame is spending more time with Gill than with you." Bo called from around the house.

"Shut up Bo! Or need I remind you what happened the last time you decided to make fun of me." Luke growled as he turned his attention over towards the house.

I giggled. "Anyways, on my way home I stopped by the Inn and got us dinner." I said as I held up a big take-out bag.

Luke faced me. "Don't tell me its pizza." he dreaded.

I shook my head and made my way over to my house. "It's spaghetti and meatballs."

Bo dropped the hammer he was using and gasped. "That's my favorite!"

I smiled. "Then come on then, you can help me set the table, Bo." I called.

Bo ran inside the house, faster than a rabbit.

I couldn't help but laugh at his sudden excitement. He was almost as much as a goofball than Luke was.

Luke shook his head in dismay. "What can you do with him? The boy loves food."

"So do you."I laughed.

He shrugged, laughing along. "That's true. Well I'm gonna stay out here and work on the house while you and the spaghetti maniac finish setting up for dinner."

I giggled as I started to go back inside of the house. "Okay." Then I remembered something. "Oh!" I leaned my head out the door. "This time, don't eat so much. I don't wanna have to watch you barf again."

"Relax, I won't do that again. That was enough punishment for me."

I laughed at him and went back inside.

Bo was actually a big help. Usually it would take me longer to get dinner ready, but with his help, we got done within minutes.

"Man, I'm starving." Bo said as he sat down at the table and reached for the spoon that was sticking into the spaghetti.

I slapped his hand away. "Ah ah ah, we're not eating until everyone is sitting at the table."

Bo grumbled and sat back in his chair.

Luke finally came inside when he finished up.

"Smells good." he commented as he sat down in the chair next to me.

"About time you got done out there. You take forever." Bo whined as he grabbed the spoon from the spaghetti.

Luke snatched it away from Bo before he could get any and started to fill his own plate up. "So what? At least I do more work than you do."

Bo growled. "Ayame!"

I sighed. "Stop acting like kids. You're grown men, you shouldn't be acting like this."

Luke pointed to himself. "I'm a man, but he's still a kid." he said as he pointed at Bo.

"I'm only fifteen years old; that's only a few years younger than you. And you're only seventeen! You're not an adult yet!"

"In a few more days and then I will."

"Oh really, when?"

Luke pondered for a moment. "Uhhhhh...I can't remember. But I know it's in a few days."

Bo rolled his eyes. "You're such an idiot."

Before the fight could get any worse, I tried to change the subject. "So how's the work going you guys?"

Bo began to twirl his pasta onto his fork. "Slower than yesterday." he complained and pointed to Luke. "While I was working on the siding of the house, he was running around the yard like an idiot."

Well apparently they aren't gonna stop fighting even if I do change the subject.

"That's because I had a bee flying around me. I hate getting stung." Luke huffed.

"Me too!" I agreed as I raised my hand.

It was true, I didn't like getting stung. It hurt!

Luke smiled at me.

I really liked Luke's smile. It always gave me a warm feeling.

Then he looked over at Bo. "See, she doesn't like bees either."

Bo responded back making kissy noises at him.

Luke's cheeks flushed red and then glared back. "Cut it out."

Bo shrugged his shoulders, smirking.

Wonder what that was all about?

We continued to eat in silence for awhile until I looked over at Luke to see the spaghetti noodles hanging out of his mouth as he ate. I couldn't help but giggle at his face.

Luke caught my gaze and stuffed more noodles into his mouth until his mouth was overfilled. The red sauce covered his face as the noodles hung out.

I started to laugh even harder.

Bo rolled his eyes. "Idiot." he murmured.

Then Luke started making gag noises. "Ah...my intestines are coming out of my mouth. Bleh!"

I laughed so hard that I fell out of my chair and landed on my back.

Luke spat his spaghetti onto his plate and started laughing.

"Ugh! You guys are so sick." Bo murmured.

I calmed down my laughing and climbed back into my chair. "Awww come on Bo, lighten up a little."

"Yeah, quit being a buzz kill."

"I'm not being a buzz kill, I just don't wanna see you pretending that your food is your intestines. You're making me sick."

Luke raised a brow. "Because I'm acting like I've got my intestines coming out of my mouth, is making you sick."

"Yeah, it is. So can you stop?"

Luke smirked as he grabbed more noodles off of his plate and stuffed them into his mouth. "Oh, you mean this?"

I started to snicker as I continued to watch them.

Bo sneered at him. "Knock it off."

Ignoring him, Luke began gagging and groaning. "Ahhhhh! I'm dying! Bleh!"

"Luke! Seriously, stop it!"

"What? Can't I have a little fun?"

"Not when that kind of 'fun' is gonna make me barf my own guts out."

Luke frowned as he slurped up the noodles and wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand. "Then what am I supposed to do for fun now?"

Without a second thought about what I was going to do, I grabbed some noodles off of my plate and threw them at Luke.

Both of the boy's eyes widened as they stared at me in shock.

"There's your fun" I smartly responded.

As the crimson covered noodles dripped down his face, he smirked back at me. "Oh, you're gonna do it that way, huh?"

I matched his smirk. "Enjoy it?"

"Very." he responded as he reached down and grabbed some off of his plate. "Here, you should try some."

With those final words, he threw the noodles at me, hitting me square in the face.

I started back at him, still smirking. "Has this war begun?"

"It has begun."

Within seconds we started a spaghetti throwing fight. Noodles and meatballs flew from both sides of the house.

Through the barrage of noodles and meatballs, Bo got up from the table and ran out the door. "I'm not staying for this!"

"Chicken!" Luke yelled at him as he ran away.

While Luke was distracted, I picked up a meatball and threw it at Luke's head.

"Hey! That's cheating!" he yelled as he threw a meatball at me.

I ducked under the table in the nick of time before it could hit me. "It is not!"

Sam ran over to the fallen meatball and ate it. After he finished it, he looked at me and barked.

'That gives me an idea.' I thought as I picked up a meatball.

Being the sneaky person I was, I crawled around the table and whistled. "Sam!"

Sam looks over at me with anticipation.

"Fetch boy!" I yelled as I threw the meatball.

Sam chased after the meatball as it sailed through the air and hit Luke in the face.

Seeing where the meatball landed Sam jumped on him, barking excitedly. "Ah...Sam!" Luke yelled.

Then Sam began to lick Luke's face by cleaning off of all the meatball residue, causing Luke to fall backwards and land on his back. "Okay, okay. I surrender. You win Ayame." he surrenders.

I burst out laughing as I watch Sam lick Luke's tomato sauce covered face.

Then Luke begins to start laughing. "Hey! Stop! That tickles!"

After all of the meatball is gone, Sam barks at him and jumps off, running off to hide under my bed.

I look around room and see spaghetti noodles and tomato sauce splashed all over the house. "Oh boy."

Luke looks around in shock. "Wow, did we make a mess."

We both looked around the room seeing noodles hanging off of the furniture, red sauce splattered on the walls, and meatballs all over the floor.

Then we both looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Well, it was true; we were both a couple of idiots. We started a food fight like a couple of little kids. I haven't done that since I was in grade school.

But it was fun anyways.

Suddenly Luke stopped laughing and crawled over to me, staring at me intensively.

"What?" I asked.

"You've got some sauce on your face." he said as he pointed to my face.

My hand flew to my face but Luke grabbed it firmly. "Don't worry, I'll take care of it." he said. He gently grasped my chin and tilted my face till he was merely a centimeter from my lips.

My eyes widened and my breathing was going heavy as I stared into his eyes.

"Hold still for a second. Just relax."

Without questioning his intentions, I closed my eyes.

Suddenly I felt something warm and wet hit my cheek. I cracked an eye open to find Luke licking my cheek.

W-what was he doing?

I could feel my face getting warm as he licked my face. "Lu-Luke?"

"Whoa! This dinner was supposed to be G rated, not rated PG-13!" someone yelled.

We both looked towards the front door to see Bo standing there in shock.

Luke pulled away and stared at his shocked partner.

Then Bo's shocked expression turned into a glare. "Oh just make out all ready!"

My face turned bright red with embarrassment.

Luke growled as he stood up. "That's it! You're going into the ocean!"

Bo shrieked in a high pitch tone and ran away into the night.

I looked up at Luke's growling face, who was also turning red.

He looked down at me. "I'm sorry, I'll be right back." he said and ran after Bo.

I sat there dumbfounded.

Make out? Why would Bo tell us to make out?

And what the heck was Luke doing? He licked my cheek; why did he suddenly decide to do that?

Fed up with my thoughts, I got up and began to clean up the spaghetti and meatball explosion.

Too bad the fight had to end so quickly; that was the most fun I've had in years. To think, that two months of living in a new place with new people would lead to a spaghetti fight like this. I didn't think that this sort of thing would ever happen. But I liked it. It was a new life and it was off to a good start.

But the thing that bothers me is that my best friend just licked my cheek like a dog.

My heart was still pounding and my cheeks were probably still red from earlier.

Maybe it was just embarrassment; but for some reason, it felt like more than embarrassment.

I shook off the feeling and continued to clean up the noodles off of the couch.

After I finished cleaning up half of the living room Luke came back, dusting off his hands. "I took care of him. Do you want some help cleaning this up?"

"No, it's alright; I got it taken care of. So let me guess, you threw Bo into the ocean."

He laughed and walked inside. "Yep." he replied. "He should know, don't ever mess with me or he's gonna end up in the ocean."

Then he got silent. "Um...I'm sorry for...well...you know." he stuttered as he pointed to his face and stuck out his tongue.

My face got warm again as I looked at his nervous face. "Oh, It's okay...you just...um...really surprised me there." I replied nervously as I rubbed the back of my neck.

He mimicked me as he averted my eyes from my face. "Well believe me, I-I've never done anything like that before."

I smiled at his embarrassment. "It's fine; I understand. You didn't realize what you were doing. You were just living in the moment and didn't realize what you were doing until it happened."

He met my eyes again as he ran a hand through his dark blue hair. "So umm...does this mean that things will be awkward between us?"

"No, we got all of the awkward stuff out of the way. We're still friends, right?"

He smiled. "Yeah, of course."

I matched his smile.

At least we got all of that out of the way.

Then he glanced over at the clock. "Well, I guess I'd better head on home."

My face dropped. "O-oh. You're leaving?" I asked.

He stopped smiling and looked at his feet. "Yeah, I guess so. It's getting really late and I don't think Bo will like it if I don't come back home. He might call up my dad and tell him that I broke the rules."

I frowned looked down at my feet. "Y-yeah. You've got a good point."

The room grew silent.

My heart felt like it was in my throat and my stomach was starting to drop.

I didn't expect him to leave already.

"I...I don't really want to leave." I hear him say.

My head shot up and met his nervous gaze.

"I don't want to leave you alone."

My heart skipped a beat. He didn't want me to be alone? Did he actually care about me like that?

"I...I mean, won't you be lonely?" Luke asked.

I looked at him solemnly. "I will, but I'll be okay. I've faced worst situations than this."

"Okay." He scuffed his boot on the wooden floor. "Um...thanks for letting me spend the night yesterday, and for taking care of me when I was sick."

I smiled softly. "You're welcome. I was happy to have you here."

Luke gave me a weak smile. "Thanks Ayame." he whispered hoarsely. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay."

"Yeah, I'll see you later."

He gave a small wave and closed the door behind him.

I stood there silently, staring at the door.

What was I waiting for? For him to come back through that door? To hear him say that he didn't want to go back home? Or for him to just stay with me?

Even though Luke had stayed with me for one night, it actually felt longer than that.

I actually had a roommate again, just like my sister.

It felt like I wasn't alone anymore.

But now that he was gone, it felt like a part of me was ripped out again.

'I wish that he would come back already.' I thought to myself as I felt warm tears roll down my face.

**~Luke's P.O.V. ~**

"Ugh! I hate it when you throw me into the ocean!" Bo yelled at me as I walked into the Carpentry.

I stared at him as he was draining his shirt out in the sink.

I closed the door behind me and walked past him. "Whatever." I murmured.

"You know, I'm gonna get sick from this. I could _**die**_!" he announced dramatically.

"That's nice!" I called to him as I went into my room and fell onto my bed.

I felt like all of my energy was being drained constantly from me.

So to let out all of my frustration I grabbed my pillow and put it over my face, yelling into it.

I could faintly hear Bo's boots coming into my room. "What's the matter with you?" I heard him ask.

"Nothing." I murmured into the pillow.

"Luke, I know you're lying. I've lived with you for years and I know when you're lying."

"Oh really? How?"

"You never look me in the eye when you lie."

"No, I don't."

"You're doing it right now."

He had a point.

"So?"

Bo sighed. "You're just upset because you were so close to kissing her tonight."

I tore the pillow off my face and stared at Bo, who stood in the doorway with a towel drying his hair with. "What?"

Bo rolled his eyes in response. "You're so stupid."

I sat up and looked at him confusingly. "What are you talking about?"

"Dude, it so obvious that you like Ayame."

My eyebrows flew up. "What? She's just my friend."

"You licked her cheek!"

"So?"

He threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "You don't lick your best friend's cheek, especially if she's a girl! **_Unless_ **you're interested in her."

I stared at him. "I don't know why I did it, but I'll tell you this, I didn't do it because I...I like her or anything. I guess I just got caught up in the moment."

Bo shrugged. "In my opinion, it sounds like you've got a crush on her."

I shook my head. "No, I just like her as my friend. I don't have a crush on anyone."

"Well, then why are you so desperate to go back over to her house?"

I looked down at the floor. "I didn't want to leave her alone."

"Luke, you're going to see her tomorrow. Plus she's been living by herself for weeks. She'll be fine." he told me.

I glared at him. "She told me that she felt lonely all by herself. Back in the city she had a sister that was like a roommate to her and I felt like a small replacement for her. You should've seen her face when I said I was leaving. She looked like she was going to start crying." I paused and stopped glaring. "And I'm not gonna let her be by herself as long as my dad's not going to be here." I finished as I got off my bed, grabbing a duffel bag from under it.

"What are you doing?" Bo groaned.

"I'm going to stay at Ayame's." I replied as I stuffed my clothes into the bag.

"Are you out of your mind? Your dad told you not to even think about going over there! Especially 'no funny business'!" Bo yelled.

I stood up. "I'm going over there, whether you like it or not. And if you try to stop me, then I'll tell my dad that _**you**_ were the one who ate his last piece of his special mushroom pie, which I'm still wondering how you guys can eat that crap." I threatened.

Bo put his towel around his shoulders and crossed his arms. "Pfft...you have no proof."

I pulled a small photo out of my pocket. "Oh really?" I showed Bo a photo of himself, in the refrigerator, at night, holding a piece of pie, and his mouth was covered in brown slime.

Bo gasped. "How did you even see that?"

"Elementary my dear Bo, you were making so much noise in the middle of the night that I went into the kitchen with my camera and caught you stealing the pie from the fridge." I recited in a British accent. I sounded like Sherlock Holmes.

"Why do you even carry that around in your pocket?" Bo asked.

"For anytime I have to blackmail you. Comes in handy, don't ya think?"

Bo groaned as he hit his head on the door frame. "Fine, but if I hear anything bad going on over there, I'm calling your dad."

I picked up my duffel bag and walked up to him, patting his shoulder. "Thanks Bo; you're the greatest."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm only doing this because I don't want Dale to dock my paycheck because I ate his special pie."

I smirked. "Well yeah, there's that. But admit it, you're doing this because you care about Ayame almost as much as I do."

Bo stood there for a minute and then sighed. "Yeah, I do. She's really nice to both of us. So go on, go cheer her up."

"See ya." I called as I walked out the door.

When I made it out of the Carpentry I ran all the way to Ayame's little house.

Bo did have a good point; I did like Ayame. A little more than just a friend.

But it wasn't really big. I just like the fact that we act alike and that we had a ton of stuff in common. She was like the girly version of myself. Crazy, energetic, and loves to have fun.

I loved to be around her.

When I reached her house I banged on the door as hard as I could. She'd definitely have to wake up to that.

Within seconds the door opened and there she was, standing there in her green pajamas and rubbing her sleepy eyes. But there were tear streaks down her cheeks and she looked like she had been crying.

"Lu-Luke? What are you doing here? Did you forget something?" she asked weakly.

I shook my head. "Were you crying?"

She started frantically rubbing the tear streaks off of her face. "What? Oh...yeah. I'm sorry about that. Sheesh, I'm such a baby." After most of the streaks were gone she looked me in the eyes. "So...what are you doing back here then?"

I pulled her into my arms and hugged her close to me. "I don't want you to be alone. As long as my dad isn't here, I want to stay with you so you can never be alone. If that's okay with you that is." I whispered in her ear.

She stood there stiff as a board and then suddenly hugged me back, tighter than how I was holding her. "Of course you can stay. You're my best friend Luke. Thank you." she whispered softly.

I hugged her back and smiled.

I felt like I wanted to protect her. To never let her go.

"Thank you Ayame. You're my best friend too." I answered.

For the next few minutes, we just stood there, hugging each other for as long as we wanted. Never wanting to let go.

**~End of Luke's P.O.V. ~**

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><p><strong><span>Awwwww wasn't that cute? I nearly cried when I wrote that. I hope that you all liked this chapter. I'll try to get the next chapter out for you guys to read. I think that you'll like the next few chapters. Trust me, they'll be great. Anyways, I hoped you liked this. Please review and message me. Thanks everyone!<span>  
><strong>


	11. Love in the Library'

**Hey everyone! I'm really sorry about this. I had finals and other college issues. It's soooo dumb that I can't find any time to work on this. Homework is really piling up this semester. But I'm trying to get these chapters out as fast as I can. Anyways back to this chapter. This is literally the longest chapter I've ever written. Over 8,000 words. It's crazy! I really hope you all like this chapter, it took me awhile to edit this one. Please review and message me; they are always appreciated. Enjoy!**

******NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.******

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><p>"Luke! Time to wake up!" I yelled.<p>

"Gahh!" Luke screamed as he jumped off the couch and fell on the floor.

I burst out laughing at his scared expression.

"It's not funny!" he yelled.

I continued to laugh and walked into the kitchen. "Yes it is."

So Luke spent the night here again and he's planning on staying until his dad gets back. I know he's going to be in trouble, but I don't really care. I'm just really happy that Luke really cares about me like that. I guess I'm not lonely now.

"I want pancakes!" Luke shouted like a little kid.

I groaned. "Luke, I can't make pancakes today. I've got to get to the library early today." I explained as I grabbed some clothes out of my dresser.

Luke groaned. "You're going to work for sissy prissy boy now? Ahh! Why?"

I walked over to the bathroom and held onto the doorknob. "There are a lot of books that need sorting. It will probably take Gill a few weeks by himself. So I'm helping him out."

I went into the bathroom and changed out of my pj's.

I put on a pair of khaki shorts and a blue t-shirt. I guess I didn't have to dress so fancy to work in the library; I mean, who really cares.

As I pulled my shirt over my head, I head a knock on the door.

"I'm heading outside." Luke called through the door.

"All right."

Faintly I could hear the front door close. Within seconds after he left I emerged from the bathroom and put my boots on. Then I went outside to find Luke carrying a bunch of boards in his hands.

He looked over at me. "Have a nice time with sissy prissy boy." he said sarcastically.

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Oh, stop whining about him; he's not that terrible. Don't you guys ever stop fighting?"

He looked up at the sky and pondered for a moment. "Nope." he answered and dropped the boards next to the house.

Fed up with arguing about Gill, I said "goodbye" and walked into town.

Why do those two have to constantly hate each other? I've never seen a fight like this. It sounded like its been going for years and it doesn't sound like it's going to end anytime soon.

Oh well, maybe I should just stay out of their business. It's their fight and I should stay out of it.

Before I reached the stairs to Town Hall I saw Elli walking towards me with a stack of papers in her hands.

"Good morning Ayame."

I smiled. "Morning Elli."

"My, you're up really early today." she pointed out.

"Yeah, I wanted to get started early before Gill gets there." I explained as we both climbed up the stairs to Town Hall.

"Good thinking. Gill usually doesn't get here until 7:30."

When we reached the front door Elli pulled out a ring with several keys on it, picking out a gold key. She unlocked the door and opened it, letting me inside.

"Do you need any help upstairs?" she asked.

I shook my head. "No, I think I can handle it while Gill's absent. He'll show up later to help, but thanks anyway Elli."

She smiled and went behind the main desk. "He shouldn't be much longer. He's probably just getting ready to leave his house."

"That's fine, I can survive without him. He's probably eating a bowl of cheerios or playing with his rubber ducky in the bathtub."

Elli burst out laughing. "Ha-ha, that's really funny. That's a good one Ayame."

I smiled back at her, shrugging my shoulders. "Hey, I love to act funny. But I'm not trying to make your boss sound like a girl or anything like that."

Ellie just laughed. "Oh, that's fine. I needed that sort of funny joke today." Then she looked out the window. "Gill's a good man, don't get me wrong, but he just needs to know how to have fun and not stay in that office of his all day. I worry about him."

She looked back at me. "Well, I'd better get back to work. If you you need anything, just let me know." she said as she went into the main office.

"Thank you Elli!" I called to her.

"You're welcome!" she shouted from the back.

I climbed up the stairs to the library. The books were just as we left them, scattered all over the place.

"Wow, this is gonna be a pain." I sighed and got to work.

It really surprised me to hear that Elli is worried about him. I guess I'm not the only one who's worried about him.

I should try to talking to him more today; maybe I can break though to him some more.

It seems that every time we talk, he opens up more to me.

Hopefully, I can break another barrier between him and the outside world.

It's worth a try.

**~Gill's P.O.V. ~**

"Son, don't you think that you should take the day off? You've been really stressed lately." my father advised.

I grabbed my paperwork off my desk. "No, I'm very busy today. I've got to work on building forms, I've got blueprints to sort, and I have to sort the rest of the books in the library." I explained as I put the papers into my bag.

"Oh the library, that's right. Ayame will be there too. How wonderful. That young lady is growing on this island; she's a very smart and beautiful girl." my father rejoiced.

Ayame's image popped into my head. That stupid grin that she always wears and her hyper attitude that matched a certain idiot.

I groaned, thinking about being stuck with that girl all day. She's so annoying and I'm tired of her poking around in my personal life. My business is my business; but why is it that every time we talk it seems that I reveal more information about myself to her than anyone I've ever spoken with. I don't even talk that much to my own father.

Sighing heavily, I packed up the rest of my stuff and headed downstairs to the living room.

"I'm leaving for work, Father." I called to my father as I put my shoes on.

"Okay Gill, I'll see you at work."

When I got outside I looked around at the town in front of my eyes.

The buildings were somewhat old and rundown, the plants weren't as vibrant as they should be, and in my own opinion, the town needed some extreme remodeling.

'I will improve this town someday. I've just got to work harder to prove that I can do this.' I thought to myself.

This town has really died down over the years and the numbers of residents have gone down too. People have come and gone over the years, due to the lack of 'excitement' and 'pizazz', is how some of the deserters explained as they boarded the ferry to leave for the city.

Honestly, who would want to live in that...crazy, loud, and...strange place. In my opinion, I would never go there.

We had that brochure put out in public to attract new residents from the city to see if anyone would want to live on a quiet and tranquil town on a small island. Unfortunately, nobody has responded.

Well, except for Ayame.

She may be annoying and hyper, but I guess I'll have to thank her for coming here. Without her, there wouldn't be that much entertainment for the other islanders.

She was quite the interesting girl to add to our island town. Maybe she's what everyone needed. I guess she brightens up everyone's day...except for mine that is.

As I walked down the path to the steps of Town Hall I could hear Ayame's voice ringing through my head. 'Well maybe if you took a break once in awhile, then maybe you wouldn't be so cold all the time. It could give you a chance to go talk to the residents about what they want or need for their life here. It would be like a socializing break for yourself.'

I growled at her advice. 'I don't need a break. I've got to continue to work or I'll never become Mayor. If I take a break, then I'll just be wasting my work time.'

Then I suddenly stopped in my tracks and thought for a moment about what she said. 'Well she did say something about talking to the residents about what they need. Maybe I can do that sort of thing, but not right now. I'm way too busy to take any breaks.'

I broke away from my thoughts as I walked up the stairs to the Town Hall area and went up to the front door.

When I opened the door I could see Elli standing at the front desk filling out some paperwork.

She looked up at me and dropped her papers. "Ah...good morning Gill." she greeted quickly.

I walked over to the desk, picking up a few papers that fell off the desk and onto the floor. "Good morning Elli. Are the building blueprints sorted?" I asked as I handed her the papers.

"I was just sorting them."

I went behind the front desk and walked up to her. "Where are the building forms at?"

"I put them on your desk."

I walked over to my desk and sat down as I looked at the mess of papers on my desk. At least a dozen building forms were scattered around my desk area.

'This is going to be a long day.' I exhaled as began to go through them.

"Oh yeah, Ayame's here. She's up working in the library." Elli told me.

I cringed as I crumpled the paper in my hand. "Is she now?" I asked in a slightly irritated voice. Just what I needed; paperwork and her.

She nodded her head. "She got here at 7:00 this morning. She said that she wanted to start on it before you got here."

I let go of the wrinkled paper in my hand and glanced down at it. Ironically, it was a building form for Ayame's house.

"Thank you Elli. I'll get to that in a bit. I'm going to work on a little bit of sorting and then I'll go up to help." I grimaced as I flattened the form out on my desk.

The front door opened and my father walked in, acting as jolly as usual. "Good morning Elli!" he sang as he walked over to the office area.

Elli smiled. "Good morning sir. You seem to be a good mood today."

My father sat behind his big desk. "Aren't I always in a good mood?" he asked as he went through his papers.

Elli walked over to his desk with a handful of papers. "Yes, that's right. Here are the blueprints you wanted to be sorted." she responded as she handed him the papers. "Do you need anything else?"

He looked up at her and smiled. "A cup of herbal tea would be nice."

Elli looked over at me. "Do you need anything Gill?"

I kept my gaze on my papers. "Tomato juice, please."

Then she walked over to the backroom where the small kitchen was.

When she left the room I heard my father sigh. "Son, when are you ever going to consider settling down?"

*sigh* Here we go...

I looked at a form and signed it. "Never." I replied as I put the paper into the finished tray.

"Why not, Son?"

I sighed and looked at another form. "The last thing I need is a wife right now. If I had a wife then I'd be too distracted with marriage and creating a family. If that happens then I'll never work hard enough to become mayor." I responded.

"Son, I met your mother two years before I became mayor. Also I married your mother and then you were born not even a year after I became the mayor. Of course I was busy with you two, but I still managed to become the mayor of Waffle Island, and I'm still am currently mayor." he explained.

I sighed again and looked at him. "I'm just not ready to find someone yet. I'm way too busy for a girlfriend right now. Besides, there are no women on this island who would even consider becoming a mayor's wife. I've got plenty of time to get a wife after I become the mayor. I'm only seventeen."

"But you'll be eighteen in a few months; that's the legal age to marry here. What if a nice young lady comes along and she falls in love with you? Would you make her wait all of that time to marry her just so you can become the mayor? I don't think that she'll like that."

I went back to my sorting. "Father, I don't think that girl will come along for a very long time. Nobody is coming to this island anytime soon."

"But what if you left the island to find a girl in the city? There's bound to be dozens of girls who would want to be with an intelligent and professional man such as yourself."

My head shot up from my paperwork. "Are you crazy? I would never go to such a ludicrous place like that. Besides, I'd be leaving this town when I want to be the one running it. If I run off to the city just to find a girl, I'd sound like a person who's given up on his town. That's not the kind of mayor I want to be."

Thankfully to break away all of the tension in the room, Elli came out of the backroom with a cup of hot brewing tea and a glass of tomato juice.

She walked over to me and sat the glass on my desk.

"Thanks." I mumbled as I continued to work.

Then she walked over to my father and handed him his tea.

"Thank you Elli." he said to her and sipped his tea. "Mmmm...you always make the best tea."

She smiled. "Thank you sir." she replied as she wiped her hands on her dress apron.

I picked up my glass and took a sip as I closed my eyes. 'Only him.'

"You'd make a lovely wife, Elli. You know, you should consider marrying my son." my father added.

My eyes shot open as the tomato juice caught in my throat, causing me to choke. "Fa...*cough*...father!" I choked out as I beat my chest trying to get the juice down.

"Oh come on son, you know that she'd be perfect for you. She's a lovely secretary here and when you'd become mayor she'd be working along your side." Father explained.

I finally got the juice down and started to catch my breath.

Elli giggled. "That's a nice offer Mayor Hamilton, but I only think of Gill as my second boss and my colleague. Also I don't think that I'm ready to think about marriage yet." she responded to my father.

He sighed. "Oh, okay Elli. But if you ever need a husband, just leave it to me to set you up with Gill."

I huffed and hit my head on my desk. Why won't he just shut up?

Elli laughed again. "Okay I will." she replied as she walked over to her post.

I lifted my head and looked over at her. She probably thinks that I'm an idiot.

She was sorting through the blueprints on the counter when she caught my gaze and smiled. Then she rolled her eyes toward my father and giggled.

I shook my head and got back to work. 'Well at least she thinks it's funny.'

After an hour went by my father finally left the office to go see Ramsey about the new equipment for the Blacksmith shop.

Elli looked over at me again. "You're father wants you to get married?"

I put my face into my hands. "Yeah." I grumbled.

"I can tell that you really want to." she replied sarcastically.

I slid my hands down my face until my eyes were out. "I'm so sorry about that." I heaved in frustration.

She giggled. "It's okay. I thought it was cute. Besides, don't tell your father but I'm already seeing someone."

I took my face out of my hands. "Good for you. Is he a good man?" I asked as I folded them on my desktop.

She smiled and rustled through the paperwork. "Yes, he's a doctor in Mineral Town. I used to work with him before I came here. He's very kind."

"Well, I'm happy for you then. You deserve someone Elli."

She smirked. "You say that, but it doesn't look like you show it."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever."

Then she looked at the clock. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be helping Ayame in the library? She's been up there for quite some time."

I exhaled loudly. "Yes." I groaned.

"Now what's with that attitude?" she asked as she put her hands on her waist.

"Nothing." I grumbled as I got up from my desk and walked slowly toward the stairs.

Elli shook her head in dismay. "Would you quit dragging your feet? What's the matter with Ayame? It's not like she'll bite you." she joked and giggled.

"Worse, she'll annoy me to death."

She clicked her tongue and shook her head again. "Gill, Gill, Gill, you need to stop whining about how everyone is annoying. And Ayame isn't annoying, she's a very nice girl."

"To you. She's always up in my face about me being a grouch." I grumbled.

"Which you are." she pointed out.

I glared at her. "Nevertheless, she's also attempting to make me smile."

Elli laughed out loud. "Now that's a goal right there, trying to make you smile. Ha! I've never seen you smile. Basically I don't think anyone has seen you smile." she laughed.

"Thank you for the encouragement." I replied sarcastically.

She calmed down her laughing. "I'm sorry Gill. But it is true, you never smile about anything. I'd be really surprised to see her succeed someday."

"Yeah, that will be the day." I mumbled as I climbed the stairs.

"You be nice to her Gill, I mean it." she called up to me.

"I won't." But that doesn't mean that she probably will.

Just thinking about her annoyed me.

"Stupid, annoying—" my grumbling was cut off by a noise.

**"_On the corner of government and Bay Avenue_**

**_The old doomsday fanatic wore the crown of kudzu_**

**_Sirens were wailing in the Gulf coastal heat_**

**_And it seemed like the whole world was in forced retreat."_**

It sounded like someone was singing.

**"_Paid no attention, revolved though the door_**

**_Past the newspaper racks on the worn marble floor_**

**_Near Civil War history my heart skipped a beat_**

**_She was standing in fiction stretched high on bare feet."_**

The voice sounded like an angelic voice. I've never heard something...so melodic.

**"_Love in the library_**

**_Quiet and cool_**

**_Love in the library_**

**_There are no rules_**

**_Surrounded by stories_**

**_Surreal and sublime_**

**_I fell in love in the library_**

**_Once upon a time."_**

Who was singing?

As I came near the top of the stairs I peeked around the corner.

I could see Ayame putting a few books on the shelf.

'No...it couldn't be.' I thought as I glanced around the room to see if anyone else was there.

But to my dismay, nobody else was in the library; it was only Ayame.

"That's impossible. Nobody else is in the library but Ayame." I whispered to myself.

I stared at her and shook my head. 'It can't be her...could it?'

**"_I was a pirate, she was the queen_**

**_Sir Francis and Elizabeth, the best there ever was_**

**_Then she strolled past my table and stopped at the stairs_**

**_Then she sent me a smile as she reached for Flaubert."_**

**"_Love in the library _**

**_Quiet and cool_**

**_Love in the library_**

**_There are no rules_**

**_Surrounded by stories_**

**_Surreal and sublime_**

**_I fell in love in the library_**

**_Once upon a time." _**she sang as she grabbed a stack of books off the table.

Without realizing it, I gasped out loud.

Suddenly she looked towards me, dropping the stack of books as she jumped. "Oh! I...I'm sorry. I didn't realize that anyone was there." she stuttered in embarrassment.

I managed to walk up the rest of the steps and started walking toward her, still staring at her in shock.

She looked down at her feet. "Um...if you didn't like my singing, it's okay. I'm not that great of a singer." she spoke quietly.

I finally snapped out of my delusion and cleared my throat. "No, actually...your singing was...quite...surprising."

She lifted her head up. "Surprising?" she questioned.

I nodded my head. "Your singing took me by surprise. It was very...lovely."

Her eyes widened. "You liked it?" she asked astonished.

My thoughts snapped. 'What am I doing? This is Ayame I'm talking to.' I scolded myself.

Then I shook my head and looked away. "I mean...it was...okay."

"Oh, thank you. I've never heard someone say that my singing was...lovely or okay. I mean, I'm not complaining or anything. Thanks for the compliment."

"Umm...you're welcome..."

The awkward feeling went on for awhile and soon it wore off.

"Did you get a lot done while I was gone?" I asked her.

"Oh, yeah. I got a few piles of books done for you."

I walked over to a stack and started sorting. "Thank you. Now let's get back to work so we can call this a day."

She went over to her area of books on the floor and began working. "You're that desperate to get away from me, aren't you?"

"No, not completely. I just want to finish this so I can get back to my paperwork."

She rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks." she responded sarcastically.

As I sorted through the books I glanced back over at her.

She was looking out the window at the ocean; she looked to be in deep thought.

"Is something troubling you?" I asked.

She looked over at me and smiled. "Not really. I'm just thinking."

I glanced back at my stack of books and continued to sort. 'I'll just leave her alone for now.'

For the next few hours we worked in silence and neither of us spoke a word to each other. For once, I wasn't completely annoyed.

I got at least nine stacks of books sorted and put on the shelves.

As I started my next stack of books I looked over at Ayame.

She was now lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.

"Why do you always do that?" I asked her.

Her eyes glanced over at me. "Do what?"

"You look at the ceiling all the time."

"Oh, I'm not sure. I just think it's a whole different perspective."

My eyebrows lifted slightly.

She rolled her eyes back to the ceiling. "Usually, people always look at what's in front of them and not above their head. Sometimes when you look up you find out something that you've never noticed before." she explained.

My eyebrows flew up. This metaphor was coming from this annoying girl?

"For example, that one tile on the ceiling, it's lighter than the other tiles." she predicted as she pointed up at the library ceiling.

I looked up at the ceiling. Sure enough, one tile was lighter than all the others.

"That's a strange thing." I replied as I got back to sorting.

"Hmmmm...well it's not that strange when you think about it. It's like something that seems different." she rebutted.

"Explain." I requested.

"Well, here's another example, my dad told me that he worked with my mom in an office when they met. Normally my dad thought my mom was only a fellow worker. But one day my dad slipped on something on the floor and fell on his back. He told me that my mom rushed to his side to see if he was okay. When he opened his eyes he saw the ceiling but also my mom's face. He was shocked to see that she was stunningly beautiful." she explained. "He realized when he saw her in front of him there was nothing there. It was just his co worker that he worked with. But when he fell and looked up to see her from a different perspective, he noticed her beauty and how she really cared for him."

My eyebrows rose as she finished her tale. I was confused and intrigued. "So, what you're saying is that when you look at something differently, you notice something new?" I suggested.

She nodded.

"And your father told you this?" I asked.

She nodded again. "Yep, good old Dad." she replied happily.

I pursued my lips. "Hmmm...interesting story. The only thing my father can do is to nag about how I should settle down and get a girlfriend." I grumbled as I ran a hand through my hair.

I heard her snort as she sat up to look at me. "Really? Ha! Sounds like your dad's a little desperate." she laughed.

"A little?" I choked. "He tried to set me up with Elli."

Ayame burst out laughing. "Wow, he must be desperate then. Trying to set you up with his secretary, that's a good one." she said in-between laughs.

I growled and glared at her. "It's not funny."

"I'm sorry." she wheezed.

When she finished laughing she rolled her eyes and looked up at me. Her short brown bangs fell in her face. "Geez, can't you just go one day without being a grouch?" she asked intensively.

I grumbled and went back to work; I could feel myself growing very irritated and aggravated.

She sighed in frustration. "Come on Gilly, stop being so grouchy." she whined.

I simply ignored her, but my anger and frustration was boiling up inside me.

"Gill, why don't you just stop being a yourself and try to smile for once?"

I shut my eyes tightly, trying to block her out of my mind.

"Please, I really want to see you smile. Come on, stop being such a jerk."

Shut up...shut up...shut up...

I could feel my anger escalating quickly and I was beginning to lose myself.

"Please Gilly! I really want to see you smile!" she cheered.

Suddenly something burst. "NO!"

She stopped smiling and stared at me in shock.

I glared at her. "I will never smile! Especially for you! Why would I ever smile for someone like you? All you do is NAG NAG NAG! 'Come on Gill smile!' 'Come on Gill, take a break!' 'Come on Gill, stop being a grouch!' I am sick and tired of listening to you!"

She said nothing.

"Besides...you're nothing but a loud obnoxious weirdo!" I screamed.

When I finished yelling I breathed very heavy.

I've never yelled like that in years. I didn't know that I even had that much anger building up.

Ayame's mouth quivered and her eyes watered.

What have I done?

She put her hands over her eyes and trembled.

I knew I had made her cry.

Why am I such an moron? I've never been this mean to someone; not even that idiot, Luke.

She sobbed quietly as I sat there like an imbecile staring at her.

'Do something! Comfort her! Make sure she's okay!' I told myself.

"Ay...Ayame?" I called softly.

She didn't look up.

"Ayame?" I repeated.

Still nothing.

"Ayame, look, I'm sorry. I'm just really stressed today. I didn't mean to yell at you like that." I explained as I gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

She didn't move a muscle.

"I...I've never yelled at anyone like that before."

Not since that day...

"And I'm sorry that I called you that...I didn't mean it at all."

Not a single sound came from her.

"Maybe...maybe you were right. I do need to take a break once in awhile. My stress levels must be off the charts." I continued.

"R...really?" she whispered.

I sighed. "Yes."

"Does that mean that you'll take a break sometime?"

I rubbed her shoulder gently. "Yes, if it...will make you happy."

Her head shot up and she wrapped her arms around my neck to hug me tightly. "Thank you Gilly!" she squealed.

I sat there dazed and confused while she nearly choked me.

Why was she crying a minute ago and now she's hugging me?

I managed to untangle her arms from around my neck, pushing her away so I could see her face. There were no tear streaks and her eyes weren't watering.

"Why aren't you crying?" I asked her.

She smirked and rolled her eyes. "Please, like I'd cry at a name like that. That was lame." she replied sarcastically.

I sat there, stunned to see her not crying anymore.

"Sorry for the dramatic acting. I only did it so I could hear you admit that you need to take a break; judging by the fact that you just had an angry meltdown."

I cocked an eyebrow. "So you were faking?" I asked slightly angered.

She leaned away from me. "Yeah, sorry about that."

I growled at her and got back to work.

I practically acted like an idiot, made her cry, and try to comfort her, only to find out that she was faking it.

"Oh come on, I was just kidding. I'm sorry." she groaned.

I ignored her and kept working on my sorting.

"You even said it yourself that you were stressed. There's no way that you can lie about it now."

I picked up a stack of books and got up from my chair, brushing past her to get to the bookshelf.

"Well at least you didn't throw me into the ocean." she commented.

I put two books about sea animals on the shelf. "Well maybe I should've."

She sighed. "Well if it makes you happy, Luke already threw me into the ocean when I tricked him."

I stopped and turned around to stare at her in shock. "He threw you in the ocean?" I asked slowly.

She rested her elbow on her leg, propping her chin on her wrist. "Yeah."

I slowly turned back around so I could put the books on the shelf. "Interesting."

Then I faced her again. "What did you do to him?"

She grinned mischievously. "I pretended to be madly in love with him." she revealed.

I cocked an eyebrow. "May I ask why?"

"I did it to distract him so I could steal the blue mist flower from him at the Flower Festival when he wasn't looking." she admitted.

My eyebrows shot up. "You did?"

She nodded. "He got upset, so he threw me over his shoulder then carried me over to the ocean and threw me in. After that he admitted that my trick was the greatest thing ever, so then I pulled him into the ocean. In the end, we both went into the ocean." she added.

"That explains why you two came back to the festival soaking wet." I mentioned as I returned to the table.

She nodded. "It was actually a lot of fun."

I put my hand on the back of my chair and leaned against it. "I'd have to admit, that's pretty sneaky. I'm kind of impressed. You tricked that idiotic jerk into thinking that you were madly in love with him for your benefit to win the scavenger hunt."

"So you're impressed with my tactics? Just a minute ago you were mad at me for faking a crying fit."

"Yes, well in this case that you pulled your little act on Luke, I'm very impressed." I sat back down in my chair. "Of course he'd fall for a stunt like that; he's never had a girlfriend. He's scared away all of the girls who have either lived here or stayed here on vacation with his stupidity. Ha! I doubt that he'll ever get one. I predicted.

"And neither will you." she pointed out.

I looked at her confusingly. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, you said it yourself earlier; you said that you would never find a girl who would want to be a mayor's wife." she replied.

My eyes widened. "How did you know that?"

"I heard you talking to your dad downstairs. You were kind of loud." she answered.

I slowly let go the chair and sat down in it. "I did say that, didn't I?"

She nodded her head and went back to her book piles. "Why are you so against marrying someone?"

"I'm just concentrating on my work right now. I can always worry about finding a girlfriend later on in my life."

"But what happens if you meet 'the one'? What are you gonna do then?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'm just hoping that she doesn't come along until after I become the mayor. But I doubt that she'll want to marry the mayor. Most women want a man who's a doctor, a lawyer, or something that's more professional."

"Well not all women want that in life. I mean, yeah, some women want a man who's professional and can support themselves."

Then she looked out the window. "But then there's the ones who want the romance part of it more. A guy who will appreciate them every day and be romantic at times. They want someone they can trust to spend the rest of their life with. They want true love." she sighed as she went back to her sorting. "Well, that's just how I see it."

I stared at her, wondering about her sudden change in attitude.

She's acting...different today. She's not annoying me and she's not being such a big mouth today. I mean, we had our fight just a bit ago, but something seems different about her now.

She looked to be in a sort of a daze when she talked about 'true love'. Hmmm she might just be one of those 'hopeless romantics'. I know a few girls who are like that, but Ayame didn't really seem like the type. Maybe there was more to her than meets the eye.

Suddenly she started humming. It sounded just like the song that she was singing earlier.

"Um...Ayame?" I asked.

She stopped humming. "Yeah?"

"What was that name of that song your were singing earlier?"

She blinked her big brown eyes at me. "Oh, you mean the song you heard."

I nodded my head.

"'Love in the Library' by Jimmy Buffett." she answered.

I nearly fell out of my chair. "Jimmy Buffett? You know who he is?" I asked astonished.

Jimmy Buffett was one of my favorite singers of all time; he was one of those artists that most young people didn't know about. His music was soothing and made you feel like you were at a party on the beach.

Ayame nodded her head, smiling. "Yeah, my parents played his albums all the time. I think I first heard one of his albums when I was five years old. You could say that I grew up with his music." she replied with a small laugh.

I was stunned.

"I grew up with his music too." I told her.

Her eyes widened. "Really? What song do you like?" she asked excitedly.

I pondered for a moment. "Um...I guess...'Take Another Road' or 'Son of a Son of a Sailor'. I can't really decide." I answered.

She smiled. "I love those songs too. 'Take Another Road' is a classic. I didn't know that you liked that kind of music. No offense, but I thought that you'd be the kind of guy who likes Beethoven or Mozart."

I guess I could let that one slide.

"Of course the classics are good, but I do have a soft spot for modern music. I like all different types of music; except for rap."

She laughed at me. "Yeah, I'm not a rap fan either."

I raised a brow when she went back to her sorting.

So it seems that there is more than meets the eye with her; she's actually got a few things in common with me.

Maybe I should try to give her a chance.

I sat there for a second and then cleared my throat. "Umm...Ayame, do you think you could finish that song from earlier? I...um...want to hear the rest of it."

Her face twisted in confusion. "You want me to sing?"

I nodded my head. "Um...yes. I mean, it would be unfit to just not sing the rest of the song."

She hesitated for a minute and then she sighed. "Fine, but you owe me."

I waited for her to start.

**"_She gathered her books, walked while she read_**

**_Words never spoken, but so much was said_**

**_You can read all you want in this ravenous world_**

**_But it's safer than most lovers do."_**

She started humming the music in between verses and then she started again.

**"_Well stories have endings, fantasies fade_**

**_And the guard by the door starts drawing the shade_**

**_So write your own ending and hope it comes true_**

**_For the lovers and strangers on Bay Avenue."_**

Her voice was so beautiful. I couldn't believe that I was saying this. It was...amazing.

**"_Love in the library_**

**_Quiet and cool_**

**_Love in the library_**

**_There are no rules_**

**_Surrounded by stories_**

**_Surreal and sublime_**

**_I fell in love in the library_**

**_Once upon a time_**

**_Surrounded by stories_**

**_Surreal and sublime_**

**_I fell in love in the library_**

**_Once upon a time."_**

When she finished I clapped. "That was wonderful." I complimented.

Her face grew pink. "Thanks." Then she laid down on her back to stare at the ceiling again.

"I didn't really think that you would have a great singing talent." I added.

She shrugged. "Oh, you don't mean that. I'm not that great."

"I thought you sounded great."

Her eyes shifted over to me. "Oh do you want another song?"

**"_Vampires, mummies, and the holy ghosts_**

**_These are the things that terrify me the most_**

**_No aliens, psychopaths, or MTV hosts_**

**_Scares me like Vampires, mummies, and the holy ghosts_**

**_Whooooooo!" _**she sang.

I put my hand over my face. "I shouldn't have said anything." I grumbled.

Ayame laughed. "Hey you still liked my singing."

My hand slid off my face. "Yeah, but then you started singing another song. 'Vampires, Mummies, and the Holy Ghosts' is so annoying."

She rolled her head towards me. "Hey, it's still Jimmy Buffett."

I turned back to my books. "I'm aware of it, it's just that I don't like that song."

She laughed. "I think it's a funny one."

"Well that's your opinion."

She rolled over on her stomach. "By the way, you owe me."

I glanced over at her. "I owe you what?"

She grinned mischievously. "You owe because you made me sing."

I sighed as I dragged my hands over my face. "What do you want?"

"I want you to take the day off tomorrow."

I stared at her. "You want me to take the day off?"

She nodded. "And if you want I can come with you."

I raised an eyebrow; I seemed to be doing that a lot today. "Why would you want to hang out with me? I'm not the nicest person to be around with."

She sat up. "I don't mind. You may need some company. Besides, we've been getting along lately. What's that matter with that?"

I turned sideways in my chair. "Well, who says that I _**have** _to take the day off?"

She pointed to herself. "Me, cause you made me sing." she stated.

I scoffed. "It wasn't like I forced you to sing."

She got up to her feet and walked over to me, taking the chair across from me. "Yes you did, so now you owe me."

I rolled my eyes and went back to sorting.

Ayame sighed. "Please Gill. Just this once. After that you can go back to working and hating me again."

I glanced back up at her across the table. "I didn't say that I hated you. I'm just wondering why you would want to waste your day with me."

"Well, I usually just sit around at my house and it would give me a chance to get to know you better."

"So I just take the day off, hang out with you, and then the day after that we can go back to the way we were?" I questioned.

She nodded her head. "Sure; it all depends on how our day goes."

I pinched then bridge of my nose. "Okay." I sighed.

Her eyes widened. "Okay?"

I nodded my head slightly. "Yes, I'll go."

She pumped her fist in the air. "Yes!" she screamed.

I shushed her. "This is a library remember." I reminded her.

She rolled her eyes. "Dude, there's nobody even here. It's not like someone will kick me out or anything?" she replied sarcastically.

"I could." I noted.

She sputtered. "Please, you wouldn't do that to me."

I put my elbows on the table, interlacing my fingers. "And why's that?" I questioned.

She smiled mischievously. "Because, you're worried about me, or how you put it 'concerned'." she pointed out.

I growled at her. "Not again."

She mirrored what I was doing and growled. "Not again." she mimicked.

I glared at her. "You're the most annoying person I've ever met." I notified her.

She smirked. "And you love every minute of it." she shot back.

I glared at her angrily. I take back some of the things that I thought about earlier. She's still annoying like usual. Now I'm going to have to spend the whole day with her.

What have I gotten myself into?

**~End of Gill's P.O.V. ~ **

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><p><strong><span>Well, what did you all think? I hoped you liked this extremely long chapter. haha <span>**

**P.S. I don't own any of the songs in the story. Also the songs are really good. I'm a big Jimmy Buffett fan myself. You should definitely check them out.**

**'Love in the Library' and 'Vampires, Mummies, and the Holy Ghost'  
><strong>

**I'll try to get the next chapter out as fast as I can. Please review me and message me guys! Thanks everyone!   
><strong>


	12. Is This a Date or a Soap Opera?

**Hey guys! Well I'll try to use my excuses in small words so I can get through them. College, homework, writer's block, personal issues, and of course just plain laziness. I'm done LOL. Anyways, it's taken me awhile and I hope that you all like this chapter. I really worked hard on it and this is the longest chapter I've ever written. I know that it's long, but trust me; there's a lot of information that's both good for the story and also it's very funny. Think about it, all that time it's taken me to write this, it has to be a good chapter since it's soooo long. Oh well. Please review and message me; they're always appreciated! Thanks everyone! Enjoy!**

********NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.********

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><p>I skipped happily through the town, humming a random tune that I made up.<p>

One big task was completed today.

Gill's finally going to take a break from his work and I'm gonna spend it with him so I can make sure that he's enjoying it.

Thank you for all those years of begging and annoying people, especially my parents. It always worked like a charm.

That just leaves my two big goals to take care of. I've got to make Gill smile and I've got to find more about him. He's hiding something from everyone and I've got to find out what it is.

First of all, how am I gonna do that? This is gonna be difficult to do when he gets mad about everything.

Oh well, I'd better start thinking of ways to do this.

When I reached my house I opened the door and danced inside. I didn't know what the reason was, but I didn't really care. Come to think of it, I don't know why I do most of the things that I do. Oh well.

But what I didn't realize was that someone else was in the room.

I suddenly stopped when I saw Luke standing outside the bathroom door.

And that wasn't the half of it; he was soaking wet with just a towel around his waist.

"Ay-Ayame?" he shrieked.

I squeaked and quickly covered my eyes with my hands. "Luke? Why are you naked?" I screeched.

"I-I just got out of the shower. I didn't expect you to be home already." he replied frantically.

"Well I got done early. Why didn't you take one when I left this morning?"

"I wanted to get some work done so I wouldn't have to take two showers. Bottom line, I smell!" he yelled as his voice got louder.

"Okay, could you please put some clothes on?" I requested as I could hear him running around the house.

"I'm trying to find some clean clothes, but I can't find anything."

"Then, can you try to direct me to the bathroom, please? I need a shower too."

"Yeah, sure."

I started to maneuver around the house blindly as I kept one hand over my eyes and the other one was feeling my way around.

"Go left." Luke commanded.

I walked over to the left.

"Now right."

I did what he told me again.

"Right, right, right. Go to the right!" he yelled frantically.

Suddenly my legs hit something, causing me to tumble into something soft. I cracked open my eyes to find my face buried in the couch.

"My bad, your other right." Luke apologized.

I lifted my head, spitting out couch fuzzies. "Thank you Luke." I grumbled sarcastically as I got off the couch and covered my eyes again.

"Sorry. Just go straight this time, there's no more couches to fall into." he directed.

Yeah...cause there was only one couch in the room and it now probably had my face imprinted into the cushion.

So I did as he told and slowly walked forward, letting my feet feel around to make sure I wasn't gonna fall again.

"I don't know why you just don't walk to the bathroom with your eyes open." he questioned.

"Pfft, I don't want to see you naked." I responded.

"Hey, I still have my towel on."

"I still don't want to see. It's really embarrassing."

He laughed. "Embarrassing? Ha! I'm the one standing in a towel at the moment. I don't know why you're the one who's embarrassed."

"I-I just feel uncomfortable seeing someone half naked. So, please, just keep the towel on."

"Why? You can't see anything that embarrassing." Then I heard him chuckle. "But, if you want to, I could take it off right now." he said with a smirk in his voice.

My face grew warm. "Don't you dare even think about it! If you do, you're going to have to sleep in the ocean!" I yelled angrily.

Luke chuckled again. "I'm just kidding."

I grumbled and kept walking forward.

Suddenly my face implanted into the door. "Owch." I whispered.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention." he apologized.

"Luke...if you keep getting distracted like this, I'll probably kill myself by falling on something sharp."

"Oh, you won't kill yourself by doing that; there's nothing sharp around here. But...there is the exception of falling over something and then breaking a few bones."

"Thanks Luke..." I mumbled as I felt around for the doorknob.

When I felt it I grabbed it finally, I turned it, letting me into the bathroom where I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, sighing in relief.

'Made it.' I sighed to myself.

I got off the door and went over to the sink to look at my face in the mirror.

My face was as red as a tomato.

I groaned as I felt the burning sensation in my cheeks. "What's wrong with me?"

It's not like I've never seen Luke without his shirt on. We went swimming at the beach all the time and it didn't affect me then; but why am I so shy and embarrassed now?

I shook away those feelings and ran my hands through my hair.

No, there's nothing wrong with me. I'm probably just hallucinating, I mean, I spent the entire day in that stuffy library. It will probably just wear off.

When I finally calmed down I quickly undressed and got in the shower.

I turned on the hot water, sighing as I felt the warm water hit my skin.

Then I heard a knock on the door.

"Hey Ayame?" Luke's voiced echoed.

"What?"

"How did it go today?"

"Fine, I guess."

"Did Sissy Prissy Boy annoy you with his boring speeches?" he questioned.

I sighed. "No, apparently I annoyed him."

"Good job; give him a taste of his own medicine." he cheered.

I laughed as I rolled my eyes. "Why do you guys always fight? Can't you get along just once?"

"No way! He's annoying, with his stupid speeches, his dumb mayor obsession, and his tight nerdy pants." he grumbled.

I laughed as I put some soap in my hand and began to wash my hair. "'Tight nerdy pants', okay. What do his tight nerdy pants have to do with the fact that you think that he's annoying?"

There was a short silence.

"I don't know, they're just weird."

I shook my head, laughing.

Luke can be so weird sometimes, but that's why I love his attitude.

"So do you have to go tomorrow? You know, to work for Sissy Prissy Boy again." he asked.

I stopped washing my hair.

I can't tell him that I'm going to be spending the day with Gill tomorrow. Doing that will probably cause Luke to go on a rampage and attack Gill. I hate lying to him, but I don't have any other options.

"Um...I...uh...I finished at the library, but...uh...I'm going to hang out with...Kathy and Candace tomorrow." I stuttered.

Liar.

"Oh, okay. Well that sounds like fun."

He bought it? Wow, I can't believe that worked. But I hate lying to him.

I finished up my shower and shut the water off. Then by reaching behind the shower curtain, I grabbed my towel that hung on the towel rack. I quickly wrapped it around myself as I stepped out of the shower.

The room was opaque with steam. My wet hair laid against my neck as the water dripped down my back and onto the floor.

I sighed in relief. I felt so relieved of stress.

Suddenly the door swung open.

I shrieked when I saw Luke standing there only dressed in a pair of black sweat pants.

His eyes widened and his face grew redder than a beet as his eyes wandered up and down my body.

But that's what I wasn't really worried about, he wasn't wearing a shirt still.

I found myself blushing as I stared at his chest. I wanted to look away but I couldn't.

He had nice broad shoulders, muscular arms, and an amazing six pack chest.

Why haven't I even noticed that before? Oh my gosh...he looked like...a god with a perfectly shaped body. Wow...

Finally I mentally slapped myself and broke out of my trance. "Luke, get out! I'm naked!" I shrieked as I gripped my towel tighter.

Luke backed up quickly, tripping over Sam in the process. He landed on the floor with a 'thud' and blinked up at me.

I doubled over in laughter. "Nice job."

Luke gave me a sour look as I closed the door, leaving him there, embarrassed in his own mistake.

When I calmed down my laughing, I put my hand to my chest; my heart was racing faster than a gazelle.

I walked over to the mirror and gazed into it. My face was a darker shade of red than the last time.

"What's wrong with me?" I asked myself again.

I've never felt like this before. I acted like a mindless idiot, staring at Luke like that. What the heck is going on here?

I shook off the feeling and started to blow-dried my hair.

As I felt the blowing heat hit my head, I let my mind wander back to that weird situation that took place a little while ago.

How come I just stood there staring? I've seen him without his shirt before. Hmmm maybe I just never noticed before. But seriously, he was soooooo ripped...it was...wow...I don't even know how to describe it. Now I can see why he works as a carpenter all the time...it really shows.

Wait, what am I saying? I think I'm losing it right now. I need to stop talking to myself about this.

After my hair was dry I quickly put on a blue t-shirt and a pair of gray sweats.

As I opened the door I peeked out to make sure Luke wasn't still sitting there. I don't think my heart could have taken another look at his naked chest.

Nobody was in the room.

"Luke?" I called out.

"On the couch." a muffled voice responded.

I walked over to the couch to see Luke lounged out, watching T.V.

He still wasn't wearing a shirt.

Oh...goody.

My heart starts to pound again and I could feel my cheeks grow extremely warm.

When he saw me out of the corner of my eye he stared at me wide eyes.

I managed to glare at him, putting my hands on my hips. "May I ask why did you open the door when I was getting out of the shower?" I questioned him.

He scratched the back of his head nervously. "Um...sorry about that."

"Why did you go in there, when clearly you knew that I was in the shower?" I scolded.

"Actually you got out of the shower and you were in a towel." he pointed out as he pointed a finger at me.

I pushed his hand away from me. "Whatever, I was still naked. Now talk!" I demanded.

He sat up and twiddled his thumbs. "I uh...I wanted to ask you if you wanted to got the Sundae Inn Bar for dinner."

My glare softened. "Oh, well why couldn't you have waited until I was done?" I asked in a softer tone.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I wasn't really thinking. I just got overly excited and I was at the door before I could even think of what you were doing in the bathroom. I'm really sorry."

My glare disappeared completely. Well, I feel like a complete moron now. "Oh, um...it's okay." I responded as I rubbed the back of my head.  
>I felt my face turn red with embarrassment along with the feeling that I had not long ago as my eyes were glued to his six pack again.<p>

'Stop it!' I yelled at myself. 'You've seen him without a shirt before. Snap out of it!' I mentally slapped myself again.

I looked away from him to resist looking at his chest. "Um...come on, change your clothes. We'd better get going." I urged him.

"Get going? You mean...?"

I nodded in response.

Suddenly I came face to face with his bare chest as he hugged me tightly to his body and swung me around.

"Yes! Thank you Ayame!" he yelled.

"Luke! Put me down! You're suffocating me!"

After a few spins he slowed down until my feet were firmly on the ground.

"Oh, sorry about that. I guess I don't know my own strength." he laughed.

"Uh huh..." I looked up at him to meet his golden amber eyes. "Sure...you...are..." I trailed off.

He stared down at me without even saying a word.

Whoa..deja-vu.

This felt just like when Luke and I were fighting over the ax and then he fell on top of me.

It was the same thing all over again; Luke's eyes were different, just like we were lying in the woods. I guess I never noticed how...beautiful they were. That exciting and bright look in his eyes was gone, leaving his them to have a soft amber hue to them. I couldn't help but get lost in them.

I was awakened from my thoughts as Luke began to lean his head down closer towards my face.

For some strange reason, I didn't move at all. I was too entranced to even realize what he was trying to do.

Before Luke could get any closer to my lips, he stopped abruptly. He blinked once and then let go of me, stepping away slightly. "Um...sorry...I-I'll get my shirt." he stuttered as he went over to his duffel bag.

I stood there dumbfounded. 'Well that was weird.'

I put my hand over my heart to feel my heart beating erratically again. 'Why does it keep doing that?' I asked myself.

Luke put on a plain white t-shirt and rubbed the back of his neck as he faced me again. "Um...well let's go. We don't wanna miss out on Chase's good cooking." he said nervously.

I couldn't help but smile to myself. 'He's so cute when he was nervous. Wait! Did I say 'cute'? What am I saying? I think that I'm losing it.'

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><p>The walk down to the Sundae Inn couldn't be more awkwardly quiet; neither of us said a word to each other.<p>

The sun was almost gone over the horizon and was growing darker.

With a few flicker of light above our heads, the street lights lit up, making it a little easier to see the dirt path now. The crickets hummed a familiar tune that everyone knew and the stars above our heads grew brighter and brighter. It was a beautiful night for a walk into town.

Luke cleared his throat. "Um...nice night isn't it?" he commented.

"Oh, yeah." I replied.

We both got silent again.

This was getting kind of ridiculous. Here I am walking with my hyperactive best friend and neither of us are talking.

Then without thinking, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind. "Um Luke? What's your favorite food?" I spat out.

He looked at me and laughed. "Spinach, duh."

I stuck my tongue out. "Blech!

"Hey you wanted to know." he responded.

"Why spinach? It's so...blech." I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know, I just do. My mom use to make spinach dishes for me when I was little. After she died, I had to make all of her special spinach dishes for myself."

Well at least he's talking.

"Why didn't your father make any of them?" I asked.

Luke shoved his hands into his pockets and looked up at the night sky. "He couldn't handle it. He thought that it was too sad to cook any of her special dishes. He doesn't like to talk about my mom because it makes him depressed."

I looked down at my moving feet. "Oh, so you make all the dishes instead?"

He nodded. "Of course. I mean, I get sad because it reminds me of my mom. But I like to remember how nice she was. She could always make me smile no matter how sad I was." he explained.

I smiled. "She sounds like a great mom."

Luke nodded again. "She was the best mom ever. She was my hero." he sighed.

I faced forward and continued down the path. "My hero is my dad."

Luke took a hand out of his pocket and scratched his head. "Heh. Oh really? I bet he's more tolerable than my dad." he joked.

I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess so. But..." I stopped suddenly and froze in my steps.

Luke walked a few steps and stopped to turn around. "Ayame? What's wrong?"

Memory images flashed through my head.

A rainy night in the city. A worried woman with a little girl clinging to her side. A man with a bag in his hand. Running after somebody through the pouring rain. A scream.

Suddenly the images stopped.

I stood there silently, staring off into nowhere.

"Ayame? Are you alright?" Luke asked frantically.

I didn't say anything.

He walked over to me and gripped my shoulders. "Ayame? What's two plus two?" he questioned.

I mentally slapped myself out of my daze. "Two?"

We stared at each other and then we both burst out laughing.

"No, it four." he laughed.

"Are you sure it's not five?" I joked.

Luke responded by falling on the ground and rolled around. "No!" he wheezed out.

We both laughed for a few minutes and then we calmed down.

Luke got to his feet and smiled. "Wow, you really are a piece of work."

I smiled back. "Yeah, yeah. Keep talking."

He laughed as he put his arm around my shoulders. "Ha! Okay, let's go before you go into that daze again."

As we continued to walk, I frowned to myself.

It happened again...those visions of my past. It's going to keep haunting me like this; but I can't let them over rule my life.

* * *

><p>Within a few minutes, we finally reached the Sundae Inn.<p>

When we opened the door a nice warm breeze brushed over us.

We walked in and shut the door behind us.

The Inn lobby was dimly lit and the big bar in the corner was open for business.

We both walked up to the bar where a big man with a scruffy brown beard was polishing a glass.

He looked up at us. "Well, well if it isn't Luke. How's it going?"

"Awesome!" Luke cheered.

Kathy came out from behind the man. "Hey guys!" she greeted.

I grinned at her. "Hi Kathy. What's up?"

She propped her hands on the counter. "Great! Things have been going good." Then she looked over at the man with the beard. "Oh, I forgot to mention, this is my father, Hayden." she gestured to the man.

Hayden smiled at us.

"Dad, this is Ayame; she's the new resident here." Kathy said as she pointed to me.

Hayden shook my hand with a very firm grip. "It's nice to finally meet you. Kathy talks about you all the time."

"It's nice to meet you too." I responded.

When we stopped shaking hands, Hayden went back into the back of the kitchen, still polishing his glass.

Kathy rolled her eyes jokingly. "Typical Dad. So what brings you guys here?"

Luke shrugged. "I don't know. I just thought it would nice for a drink." he glanced over at me. "Oh and I was taking Ayame out for a drink."

Kathy smiled. "Cool! Well we've got your usual table Luke."

Luke ran quickly over to one of the tables and sat down.

I laughed at his hyper attitude. I had to use Kathy's label that she used on her dad; 'Typical Luke.'

Before I could join Luke, I felt Kathy tap on my shoulder. When I faced her I met her dangerous smirk.

She eyed me suspiciously. "So, are you two on a date?"

I jumped. "W-what? N-no!"

She raised an eyebrow. "Really? It looks like one to me."

I shook my head furiously. "No. Luke just asked me to come with him to the bar."

She shook her head. "I don't believe that it could just be a friendly trip here."

The bell on the door rang as someone walked into the Inn.

Kathy and I turned our attention towards the door to see Anissa and Renee walking in.

"Hey girls!" Kathy greeted.

They both said hi to us as they made their way over to us.

"What's new?" Renee asked.

"Not much." I replied.

Kathy put her arms on the counter and leaned on it. "Ayame's on a date with Luke."

My heart jumped and I punched her arm lightly. "No I'm not!" I hissed.

Anissa giggled. "Really? That's so sweet."

I huffed and leaned against the counter. "It's not a date; it's just two friends out for a drink."

"So she says." Kathy replies sarcastically.

I glare at her. "Well, says the girl with the blacksmith on her arm everyday." I shot back.

Both Renee and Anissa laughed at Kathy's sour look. They both knew that I was referring to Owen. It was true though, she spent every moment with him and everyone on the island knew it.

"Owen isn't my boyfriend." she notified.

We all rolled our eyes and laughed. "Yeah right."

She huffed and glanced at the two newcomers. "Oh, and what about you two?"

Both Anissa and Renee stopped laughing.

Kathy smirked as she pointed at Renee. "When you go down to Cream Beach, you're not there to go fishing; you're busy watching the lazy white-haired fisherman."

Renee slightly blushed.

My eyes widened. I realized that Kathy was talking about Toby. Wow, I didn't see that one coming.

Then Kathy pointed to Anissa. "And what about you, Miss I'm going to get some herbs at Meringue Clinic, but what I'm really doing is going to flirt with the doctor?" she snapped.

Anissa blushed and looked down.

I was shocked. Anissa had a thing for Dr. Jin? Sheesh, didn't see that one coming either.

Then I looked back at Kathy, who was smiling victoriously. "Don't think that I don't know about your little secrets, cause I do." she sneered at both of them.

Both girls looked away in embarrassment.

Then Kathy broke into laughter. Then I joined in. Soon Renee and Anissa started laughing with us.

Kathy wiped a stray tear from her eye and calmed down. "So what are you girls doing here?"

"Getting a bite to eat." Renee replied.

"We both got done with our work so we decided to come here." Anissa added.

Kathy smiled. "Well you've come to the right place. What can I get ya girls?"

As the girls gave their orders I glanced over to a table where Luke was sitting. He was drinking out of a glass while glancing around the room.

Oh crap, I forgot that I came here with Luke.

I turned back to the girls. "Hey, I'm sorry to leave the conversation, but I've got to go sit with Luke."

"Oh it's okay." said Anissa.

"Yeah, go see him." said Renee.

Kathy smirked. "Just make sure to explain the details later."

I playfully punched her arm. "Yeah right." I replied sarcastically as I walked over to Luke's table.

He was lounged out in a chair with his feet on the empty chair next to him, drinking an orange liquid out of a cocktail glass.

I took a seat across from him. "Hey."

He smiled and put the glass down. "There you are. I thought that you were being mauled by a bear or something."

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Sorry, I was just talking to the girls."

He waved his hand. "Ah, it's okay. You can talk to your gal pals anytime. I already ordered for you, I hope you don't mind."

I glanced down in front of me to find a cocktail glass filled with a blue liquid sitting on my place mat.

Luke sipped his cocktail again. "I didn't know what you wanted, so I ordered you one of their best cocktails on the menu."

I picked up the glass and moved the glass around in a circle, watching the liquid swirl around. "So what is it?"

"Blueberry."

I raised an eyebrow in suspicion at him.

He sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing exactly what I was referring to. "Don't worry, its non-alcoholic."

I kept staring at him, wanting to hear if his was the same too.

He noticed and groaned. "Mine's non-alcoholic too. Geez you're picky."

"I'm not picky. I just don't want you to end up drunk."

He snorted. "I'm not gonna get drunk. I don't like to drink. I promise."

I stared at his glass. "What is that? Orange?"

He shook his head. "Nope, it's yam."

"Ew! They have yams in cocktails?" I asked disgustedly.

He nodded and took a sip. "They're actually pretty good." he gestured the glass towards me. "Want some?"

I shook my head. "No thanks. I'm not a yam person."

Luke shrugged his shoulders and took another sip. "Suit yourself."

Then he glanced down at my glass. "Do you want me to order you something else? If you don't like blueberry, I'll get you something else."

I shook my head again and picked up the glass. "No, I like blueberry. It's just, I've never had a drink like this before." I responded as I looked at the liquid again.

"It's good, trust me."

I took a sip. It was a sweet blueberry taste with a little sour thrown in.

Then I smiled. "It's good. Thanks for getting this for me."

Luke smiled back. "You're welcome."

Then he pounded his fist on the table, causing me to jump. "Yo Hayden, another round for us!" he yelled to the bartender.

Hayden saluted to Luke and went back into the kitchen.

I gigged. 'I just love it when he's excited. He always makes me laugh.'

My thoughts stopped abruptly.

'Wait! Love? Why did I say love?' I screamed at myself.

Suddenly my thoughts were interrupted by a strong smell of lavender perfume.

"Why, hello Lukiekins. Fancy meeting you here." a seductive voice greeted.

That voice, I knew that voice. I glanced over to my right to see that snobby arrogant dancer, Selena.

"Selena? Hey, long time no see." Luke greeted happily.

Selena flipped her bangs out of her face. "Yes, it's been awhile. You've gotten more muscular since the last time I saw you."

Luke flexed his muscles. "You think? Well I've been working really hard lately."

Selena rested her hand on the table, right in front of me. She was completely oblivious to the fact that I was sitting there glaring a hole through her shiny auburn hair.

"You look great; it's really sexy."

I wanted to gag so badly.

"So what's your latest project?" she asked.

Luke smiled and gestured his hand over to me. "I'm remolding Ayame's house."

I saw Selena freeze up and turn her head slowly towards me.

I quickly put on a fake smile.

She smirked. "Oh, Ayame, I didn't see you back there."

'Yeah right.'

"How are you?" she greeted in a fake happy tone.

No matter how much I wanted to punch her, I had to keep my angry emotions inside.

"Peachy keen. How's your dancing doing?" I asked in a semi-happy tone.

"It's been going smooth. I even have a job." she bragged.

"Wow, no way. That's great Selena." Luke said excitedly.

When Selena turned her attention back to Luke I rolled my eyes and mimicked her as she spoke to Luke.

"Thank you Lukiekins. This is probably the best job ever."

I rolled my eyes again and picked up my glass. 'Blah blah blah, doesn't she ever shut up?'

"Where are you working at?" Luke asked.

I took a sip of my cocktail. 'Probably in the city, performing at some stripper bar.'

"I'm working here at the Brass Bar." she responded.

I nearly choked on my cocktail.

She was working here? Oh great, I don't think that I'll be coming back here for awhile.

Luke grinned. "That's great."

Selena flipped her bangs again. "Thanks." Then she looked over her shoulder. "Well I'd better go, duty calls. Nice to see you again Lukiekins." she said as she took her hand off the table and walked away.

"Good riddance." I murmured under my breath.

Hayden brought out two more glasses of cocktails for us. "I see you've met our newest entertainment. She quite the little dancer. The guests love that little gypsy dance of hers."

When Hayden left I rolled my eyes, yet again.

Luke looked at me questionably. "Hey, are you okay?"

I looked down at my new glass. "Yeah." I grumbled.

He leaned a bit over the table and stared at me. "You were just fine a minute ago. Is there something bad going on between you and Selena?"

I was unsure if I should tell Luke about my little fight with Selena at the Flower Festival. I don't want to start any drama here.

Just as I was about to answer, the door opened.

Luke turned around in his chair and gasped.

My eyes widened to see the last person I'd expect to be here at the bar, standing at the entrance.

Gill.

He looked around for an empty table and then decided to sit at a table on the other side of the room.

Luke growled as he watched his worst enemy sit down. "What is he doing here?"

I groaned at Luke's comment. 'This fight between the two of them is **_really_ **starting to get on my nerves.'

Gill glanced over at our table and nodded his head.

'I guess that must be some sort of greeting.'

Luke growled and slumped in his seat.

I looked at Luke. "Would you quit with your whining? It's not like he's gonna kill you or anything."

Luke glanced up at me. "Are you sure he's not hiding a knife behind his back?"

I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Seriously, you both act like children."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "And you don't?"

I shrugged. "I don't care; it's who I am. Besides, I'm not having a fight with someone that's still been going on for years. You guys must really hold your grudges."

"I do not."

I leaned over the table to playfully punch his arm. "Come on, admit it. You act like a child."

He laughed. "Okay, I'll admit, I do act like a child sometimes, but that doesn't mean that I am one."

I sighed. "You're such an idiot."

A hand clamped down on Luke's shoulder. "You've got that right Ayame, he **_is_** an idiot." a loud voice boomed.

Luke looked up at his attacker. "Oh shut up Owen!"

Owen pushed Luke's feet out of the chair next to him so he could sit. "Oh come on, can't I just joke around with my best friend?" he asked innocently.

Luke rolled his eyes towards him. "Why should I be best friends with a pansy?"

I stifled a laugh. 'Here we go.'

Owen gasped. "I am not a pansy!"

"Yeah you are." Luke insisted.

"Since when?"

"Since you started blushing around Kathy."

I glanced behind my back to see Kathy shaking her head in dismay.

"That doesn't make me a pansy!" Owen yelled.

"Yeah it does." Luke said back.

"Wait a minute..."

I kind of blocked out their fight to watch Gill absentmindedly tracing a finger across the top of his table.

I cautiously slipped out of my seat, avoiding Luke and Owen's fight, and then I quietly walked over to Gill's table, past all of the heavy drinkers and jokers in the bar.

When I reached his table I hovered over him, watching him draw circles and lines in the tablecloth. "Um...hey." I awkwardly greeted.

He looked up at me. "Hey."

I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind before I could stop myself. "Hmm...you know, the last time I greeted you here, you said that I was the girl who called you a 'Pompous Rich Boy', am I not correct?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah well, I'm not in the mood for starting a fight in here, unlike him." he gestured over towards Luke, who was making weird faces at Owen.

"He's hiked up on yam cocktails. So I bet that he'll be hyper for the next few hours." I explained.

He slightly nodded in agreement. "So, what's your reason that you decided to come over to see me? Wouldn't you get in trouble with your boyfriend over there?"

I sighed. "No, and he's not my boyfriend. And I just wanted to talk to you for a bit, you seemed really bored."

He sighed in reply and gestured to the chair across from him.

I slumped into the seat and folded my hands on the table. "So, why are you here? Taking a break?"

He pinched the corners of his eyes. "Yes, I admit it. I'm taking a break. My father started lecturing about finding a wife again, so I just walked out. That's the last thing I want to hear about today." he groaned.

"Looks like your father is really worried about you." I noted.

He sputtered. "Yeah right."

I put my arms on the table and leaned on it. "I'm serious. Maybe he just thinks that you're lonely and you need someone to be with." I suggested.

His eyes widened. "Lonely? I'm not lonely. Who thinks that I'm lonely?" he denied.

I squinted my eyes at him. "I think that you look lonely."

He stared at me silently and then he opened his mouth. "I...I..."

Oh, crap. Did I insult him?

I cut him off by putting my hand up. "I'm sorry, that was a little stupid to say. I'll just leave you to your pondering. I'm sorry to just say something like that to you." I explained as I got up from my chair.

"No, wait. Don't leave yet." he said suddenly.

I slowly sat back down and stared at him silently and shocked. "What is it?"

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I...it's just that...nobody's really...said anything like that to me before."

I looked at him confusingly.

"Why...I...I mean, why do you think I look lonely?" he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, it's just that when you stare out in space, you look depressed. And sometimes you ignore everyone around you and just work on your paperwork."

He raised an eyebrow. "I work on my paperwork because I want to."

"I thought that you do it because you want to be mayor?"

He nodded slightly. "That's true too."

"Well, maybe you do it to find something to do. You want to find an excuse to avoid everyone. Why is that? Why do you want to avoid everyone?"

He sat there silently for awhile, staring at me in slight shock.

"Oh, Gill, I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that question. I don't mean to put you under any pressure." I assured him.

He sighed and put his hand over his face. "It's...its okay. I'm not mad at you." he muttered.

My eyebrows perked up a little.

Is it me or is Gill acting a little different today? He's not getting mad at me or anything. What's he hiding?

We both sat in silence until Gill spoke up, taking his hand off of his face. "Umm...I'm sorry to change the subject, but may I ask why are you dressed like that?"

I looked down to see that I was still wearing my baggy sweat pants and a dirty old blue t-shirt. I felt my face heating up in embarrassment. "Um...it's a new fashion. These are the kind of clothes to wear when you go out on the town." I explained as I gave him a fake smile.

Gill raised an eyebrow, not buying it.

I sighed in defeat. "I wasn't planning on leaving my house tonight, Luke dragged me out of the house for a drink."

"Hmm...he did, did he?" Gill said in a deadpanned voice.

I nodded slowly, hoping that he wouldn't start anti-rant about Luke.

"Well next time that he drags you off, you should kick him where it hurts." he suggested.

I burst out laughing.

Gill raised an eyebrow. "Was that funny?"

I slowed down my laughter for a minute. "Yeah it was. And what makes it funnier is that I didn't expect you to say that, **_ever_**." I replied and started laughing again.

He shook his head. "You think the stupidest things are hilarious."

"Yep!" I laughed.

He groaned as he looked around the room at all of the people who glanced near our table. Then he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Everyone is looking." he mumbled.

I snorted. "So? I don't care. I'm used to it."

"Well I'm not. I'm supposed to act professional around the town if I want them to like me."

"Oh they like you, trust me."

He stared at me and then he cleared his throat. "So um...are we still on for tomorrow? That is the whole "break" thing."

I looked at him confusingly. "You remember that?"

He nodded. "A deal's a deal, right? I made you sing and you said that I have to take a break. Also you are coming along to give me company, am I not correct?" he explained.

I was stunned. No complaints, no fusses, and no rude comments. Was I talking to the same Gill?

"Um...yeah. Are you actually wanting to go?" I asked suspiciously.

Gill sighed. "I guess so. It can get me away from my father and his constant nagging. And the weather did say that it was going to be sunny afternoon." Then he looked out the window. "Hopefully it won't rain; especially not tomorrow. Any other day would work, but not tomorrow." he whispered.

"Um...are you okay?"

He faced me again. "Oh, sorry. I was talking to myself."

That's weird; Gill talking to himself? It didn't really fit.

Then he stared at me with suspicion in his eyes. "So let me guess, you haven't told him yet."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Who?"

He rolled his eyes and groaned. "That idiot that's working on your house."

I groaned. "He's not a...well he can be sometimes. But I can't tell him that I'm going to spend the day with his worst enemy."

Gill nodded his head. "I guess you're right. By the way, what are we supposed to be doing tomorrow?"

I was silent. Crap, I haven't really thought about what to do.

"Well...I don't know."

He cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean you don't know?" He sounded aggravated.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Well, I haven't really given it any thought about what to do."

Gill groaned. "Well then why should I even take a break if you don't even have anything planned for tomorrow?"

I leaned back in my chair. "Well we'll just go tomorrow. I guess that we'll just have to make it up as we go along."

Gill groaned again.

I stared at him stupidly. "Don't tell me that you're one of those people who plan stuff two weeks in advance."

"Of course I am. How do you expect me to plan events for the town?"

I shrugged. "Fine, go ahead and plan." I replied as I lounged in my chair, not really caring about how stupid I looked.

He grimaced at me. "Why me? You're the one who planned this."

I sighed and closed my eyes. "Fine, I'll plan something. But it's going to be a surprise." I reopened my eyes when I heard him growl.

"I hate surprises."

I groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."

Gill shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, I'm not the kind of person who likes surprises."

I threw my hands up in the air in frustration. "What kind of person doesn't like surprises? What's this; the anti-surprising league?"

He raised a brow. "The what?"

"The anti-surprising league, a group of people who hate surprises and whine about everything else. And by the looks of it, you're the president of it."

"You and your weird names." he sighed.

Suddenly a hand came down in the middle of the table, scaring the living daylights out of both of us.

I looked up to find Luke staring down at me. He didn't look angry, but he didn't look happy either.

"Hey Ayame." he greeted.

I looked at him awkwardly. "Umm...hi Luke."

He gave me a grin and leaned down, blocking out Gill's face.

'Gee, where have I seen this before?' I asked myself sarcastically, remembering how Selena did that to me not too long ago.

"I wondered what happened to you. One minute I'm having an argument with the 'pansy' over there." he explained, nodding his head towards Owen.

"I heard that!" Owen yelled from across the room.

Then Luke turned his attention back to me. "And now I find you talking to the pompous Sissy Prissy Boy." he finished.

"Um...excuse me, I'm right here. And I have ears you know." Gill sneered.

Luke leaned back up, letting me see Gill who was glaring a hole through Luke.

"Well Sissy Prissy Boy, we meet again." Luke emphasized dramatically.

Gill's glare grew colder. "Oh shut up you idiot. Come to claim your acquaintance back?" he grimaced.

"No, but I have come to get my friend back from you." Luke responded.

I hit my forehead and groaned. Wow Luke, you are clueless.

What is this a Soap Opera?

"Acquaintance means friend too, you imbecile." Gill scolded.

Luke scratched his chin. "So acquaintance means friend."

Gill groaned and hit his forehead. "Oh forget it, you're hopeless."

"I'm hopeless? Then what does that make you?"

"Smarter than you." Gill rebutted.

"Guys." I called out.

They both looked at me.

"Please don't start a fight. I don't want to see either of you being kicked out of here." I explained.

Luke looked back at Gill. "She's right."

Gill slightly nodded. "Yes, she is."

Luke glared at him again. "But that doesn't mean that we're friends. "

Gill returned his glare. "Never did."

Luke turned around and headed back to his table. ""I'm going back to my table. Are you coming Ayame?"

"Yeah, I'll be there in a minute." I replied.

When Luke was out of voice range I turned back to Gill. "You see why I didn't tell him?"

Gill shook his head in dismay. "I can see perfectly." Then he sighed. "Okay then; go ahead and plan your little surprise."

I crossed my arms. "You don't care if it's a surprise?"

He shrugged. "Hey, I'm not going to like it, but if you're so desperate, I'll try to endure it."

"Does that mean you'll smile if you enjoy it?" I inquired.

"Don't push it. I'm already going on a break for you. I'm not in the mood for another negotiation." he responded angrily as he pointed a finger at me.

I sighed in defeat. "Fine, so where are we meeting?"

Gill slapped his forehead. "I swear you're even more clueless than Luke." he groaned.

Basically we weren't getting anywhere with this. Especially when you've got the mayor's rich and snobby son debating on what to do for the entire day.

"Fine then, we'll meet at your fancy schmancy house." I groaned.

His eyebrows flew up. "Why my house?"

"Well you certainly can't come to my house when your worst enemy is constructing my house." I pointed out.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, just come around 7:45, after my father leaves. I don't want my father telling anyone that I'm taking a break from work. Especially with you."

I sat there silently.

I don't even know why I was still talking to this guy. He's so full of himself that he doesn't even realize that there are people who are trying to be a good friend to him.

"Thank you, I feel appreciated." I said sarcastically as I got up from my seat. "You know, if you're that embarrassed to hang around with me, then that's fine. We can cancel your break. You don't seem to get along with me at all and you're just way too picky with your choices. So I'll just leave you alone so you can go back to your office where you'll stay there until you decide to join the living."

But before I could leave Gill stopped me again. "Wait! I'm sorry." Gill apologized.

He's starting to scare me with his different attitude today. One minute he's being a grouch to me and then the next minute he's apologizing for being a grouch. Seriously, it's scaring me.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm just a upset today." he added.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess it's okay; we all have our days."

He relaxed in his chair. "Yes, you're right."

Well at least the grouchy side was gone; I guess I can forgive him this time.

"So 7:45 at your place?" I asked.

He simply nodded.

I nodded back. 'Now seems like a good time to go back to Luke's table before another fight erupts. Seriously, tonight just feels like a soap opera with all of the news and the fights going on at this bar.'

"Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Yeah, see ya." he said awkwardly.

"Yeah." I replied, feeling awkward as I made my way back over to Luke's table.

When I sat down I looked over at Luke. He had his head propped up on his wrist, while he ran his finger around the rim of his glass.

I cleared my throat and his head shot up. "Oh, you're back. Have a nice time with the pompous?"

I sighed. "Do you have to automatically ask about him?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm worried about you being with the most boring guy on the island."

I couldn't help but giggle.

"So you agree with me?" he asked.

"No, I just think it sounds funny."

"So what did he want?" he asked as he sipped his drink.

Oh boy, here comes the lying part.

I picked up my glass and took a sip. "Well I don't know he just looked lonely. I thought that he might need a little company."

That was part of it, but not the whole story.

"Oh, lonely? That guy thinks that I'll be lonely for the rest of my life. Look at him, he's never had a girlfriend, even a friend who is a girl." he laughed.

I sighed. "Do you have to be so mean? He's just like you too I bet. Every person has felt lonely in their life; I've even been lonely. So why don't you just lay off of the teasing; just for tonight?"

He sighed this time. "Okay, sure. I'm sorry, I've just been a little stressed today."

I scoffed. "A little?"

"Okay maybe a lot." he said defensively.

I relaxed in my chair. "So what are you stressed about?"

He shrugged. "Oh, it's nothing."

"No, seriously, what's wrong?"

He took a deep breath. "I've been thinking...are...we..."

"Are we what?"

"Are we on a date?" he asked finally.

My heart skipped a beat. "A date?"

He nodded. "It's just been on my mind all night."

I sat there in a slight shock. "Well...I don't really know. Are we?"

He shrugged. "Well it feels like one. Except for the fact that we're in sweats and t-shirts when we should be wearing fancy stuff." he joked.

I laughed along with him. "And what about the fact where we saw each other half naked awhile ago?"

Luke laughed out loud. "Yeah, that's a great way to start a date."

I laughed even harder. "Wow aren't we just charming." I laughed sarcastically.

We continued to laugh for the next few minutes until Luke sighed. "We should do this more often."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this is fun; I really like hanging out like this.

He smiled. "Yeah, me too."

Then I got an idea. "Oh, we should have a name for this; the whole hanging out thing." I suggested.

Luke's face perked up. "Yeah! So what should we name it?" he asked excitedly.

I smiled and looked down at my sweat pants, which were bunched up in my lap. As I smoothed them out an idea suddenly came to me. "How about a 'Sweats Date'?" I yelled out.

His smile grew huge, showing his shiny white teeth. "I love it! It's perfect."

I smiled back. "Yeah, we dress in sweat pants and come here for our little dates. It'll be fun."

He nodded once again and lifted his glass. "So then it's a deal then? Anytime we want to go out, we'll wear sweat pants and t-shirts."

"Exactly." I agreed as I lifted my glass.

"Shall we toast to this occasion?" he asked.

"Hmm...yes we shall."

We raised them to each other.

"To 'Sweats Date'." he announced.

I giggled at the sound of it. "To 'Sweats Date'."

We clinked out glasses together to commence our new nightly event.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Wow, now that was a long chapter. But I'm glad I'm finally done with it. I hope that you all enjoyed it; despite of how long it was. I had to get this done tonight because for the next few weeks, I've got final projects and finals coming up and I'm gonna be EXTREMELY busy with all of this. So I thought that posting a really long chapter would help you guys out and keep you satisfied. I promise that as soon as school is out, I'll start posting chapters again. Trust me, I wish it was summer already, but I won't get out until the first week of May. <span>**

**Anyways, other than that news, I really hoped that you all enjoyed this long chapter. Things are really getting confusing for Ayame now. Are she and Luke going out on dates? What's Gill hiding from everyone? What's the real reason why Luke and Gill hate each other? And what's Selena got up her sleeve? Most of these questions will be answered soon enough. Keep watching for new chapters; trust me, it's gonna get good. Please review and message me, I really love reading them! It really boosts my confidence on this story. Thanks everyone!  
><strong>


	13. Crazy Days Are Here to Stay

**Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait, I was busy with school finals and other stuff that I hated to do. But the good news is school is finally out and I have more time to work on my stories. Plus I had to find the drive to finish re-editing this chapter, it's hard to get that drive. Anyways I hope that you all enjoy this new chapter. I believe you'll think that this will be funny and shocking at the same time. Please review and message me! I really appreciate to hear your feedback and it helps me find that drive to continue writing. Thanks everyone! Enjoy!_  
><em>**

**********NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.**********

* * *

><p><strong><em>"Rah Rah-ah-ah-ah<em>**

**_Roma-Ro-mum-mah_**

**_Ga Go-oo-la-la_**

**_Want your bad romance."_** a voice sang, waking me from my dead sleep.

Slowly, I opened my eyes as I awoke to a high pitch singing voice.

I stretched my arms out and glanced around the room, wondering who was singing.

**_"I want your ugly, I want your disease_**

**_I want your everything as long as it's free_**

**_I want your love_**

**_Love, love, love, I want your love."_**

I slowly got out of bed and crept around looking everywhere. 'Who's singing? And whoever it is...they need serious singing lessons.'

**_"I want your drama, the touch of your healing_**

**_I want your leather-studded kiss in the sand_**

**_And I want your love_**

**_Love, love, love, I want your love."_**

I could faintly hear the shower running. Then I glanced at the couch to find it empty. 'Now where's Luke at now?'

_**"You know that I want you**_

_**And you know that I need you**_

_**I want it bad, your bad romance."**_

My eyes suddenly widened in realization. No way; Luke was singing 'Bad Romance' by Lady GaGa, and in a high pitch girly voice too.

_**"I want your loving and I want your revenge**_

_**You and me could write a bad romance**_

_**Whoa-whoa-whoaaa**_

_**I want your loving and I want your lover's revenge**_

_**You and me could write a bad romance**_

_**Ooohoohoh**_

_**Caught in a bad romance**_

_**Ooohoohoh**_

_**Caught in a bad romance."**_

I grabbed my aching side and clamped a hand over my mouth to stifle my laugh. This was so hilarious.

As he continued through the song I pressed my body to the wall to hold myself up. My sides were hurting so much from laughing this hard.

**_"I want your love_**

**_And I want your revenge_**

**_I want your love_**

**_I don't wanna be friends."_**

I could tell that his voice was getting higher as he reached the breaking point of the song.

**_"J'veux ton amour_**

**_Et je ton amour_**

**_J'veux ton amour_**

**_I don't wanna be friends."_**

Oh boy it was getting even harder to stop laughing.

Suddenly his voice was as high as ever.

_**"I don't wanna be friends**_

_**Want your bad romance!"**_

I fell apart as I collapsed on the floor clutching my sides, rolling on the floor while laughing my head off.

Then I heard the water shut off.

"Ay-Ayame? Are you out there?" Luke's voice frantically called out.

"Yeah!" I wheezed out, unable to stop laughing.

After a long time waiting for Luke to come out of the bathroom, he finally emerged, or should I say he opened the door and poked his head out.

I was still rolling on the floor laughing my head off.

"It's not funny." he whined.

"Yeah, it is."

He groaned and opened the door all the way, glaring at me.

"Dude, you're terrible singer, no offense." I gasped out.

"I'm not a terrible singer!" Then he rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm just not that great at singing girl songs."

I finally calmed down and sat up. "Yeah, whatever."

Then I noticed that he was already dressed.

"I changed in the bathroom so we could avoid the little 'incident' from yesterday." he mentioned.

'Good, because I don't think my heart could handle another preview of Luke without a shirt on.' I thought to myself.

We both sat at the table and ate some pancakes that Luke cooked up. Apparently he had made them while I was still sleeping; that was a really sweet gesture.

While stuffing down his food, Luke looked up at me. "So what are you girls planning on doing today?" he asked a mouthful of pancakes.

I looked at him confusingly. "The girls?" I questioned as I took at bite of pancakes.

"Yeah, you said that you were hanging out with Kathy and Candace today."

I stopped chewing.

'Crap, I forgot that I lied to him about that.'

"Um...well we weren't quite sure, but we'll figure something out." I explained nervously.

Well part of it was true, I still haven't figured out what Gill and I were supposed to do.

He nodded. "Okay. So when do you head out?"

Well he's obviously buying it.

"7:45." I responded, remembering Gill's request.

He stuffed a forkful of pancakes into his mouth. "Sweet!" he muffled.

I smiled at him and continued to eat, without worrying about my little day with Gill.

By 7:30, Luke had gone outside to begin working on the house.

I quickly changed into a green polo shirt and a pair of camo capris. As soon as I was done I left the house, saying my good-bye's to Luke and headed into town.

As I headed towards Gill's house I began to think about the places we could go to.

'Well we can't go the Sundae Inn, since we were already there last night.'

'We can't go Cream Beach because a lot of people could see us, and then it gets back to Luke.'

'I'm running out of options.'

But before I could think any further, I reached the front door of Gill's house.

I knocked on it.

No answer.

I knocked on it again, harder this time.

Still no answer.

I began to tap my foot impatiently. 'Where is he? He'd better not be sleeping. We had a deal.'

With all my anger and frustration, I began to beat on the door with my fist.

"For Pete's sake, just open the stupid door!" a voice shouted from behind the door.

I stopped hitting the door and turned the doorknob. The door was strangely unlocked, for the second time I've been here.

'I'm surprised that nobody has broken in here yet. If I were a robber, I would. But I guess this island has no criminals or crime.'

I let myself into his big mansion-like house and glanced around; his house was still the same as the last time I came to pick up Gill.

"Well, well, you're here." a voice announced.

I glanced up to the top of the stairs to see Gill standing there, looking a little annoyed.

But that's not what caused my eyebrows to rise up.

There he was, standing in a green bathrobe and a pair of black slippers. His blonde hair was a little damp too.

I put my hand over my face. 'Great, I just walked in on another half naked guy who just got out of the shower. Well, on the plus side, he's not in just a towel.'

"I'm so sorry that I just walked in on your bath time." I apologized.

I heard him sigh. "It's fine. I must have forgotten what time you were going to show up." he responded.

I drew my hand away from my face slowly. 'Is he trying to be different today? Or is he going to go back to being a sour puss? Time to test that theory.'

I glanced back at him and crossed my arms across my chest. "Well, are you gonna finish your rubber ducky time? Or are you gonna go in your robe and slippers?" I questioned.

He rolled his eyes. "Well of course I am. You don't expect me to just waltz on out there in my bathrobe." he sneered.

I smirked. "Actually, I think that it'd be funny to see that."

He glared at me. "Just wait here till I'm done." he said as he turned around. Just as he was about to leave he glanced over his shoulder. "And don't go into my room."

With that he turned back around and disappeared from the top of the stairs. The faint noise of a door closing meant that he must have gone back into the bathroom.

"I wasn't gonna." I murmured under my breath.

I began walking around the living room, glancing at my surroundings. There was a big dark red couch in the center of the room with a coffee table in front of it and it was facing the grand fireplace. 'Man, this guy is living the dream living in this place.'

I walked over to the fireplace where a long mantle sat on top of it. Dozens of different photos in glass picture frames sat on it. There were a few pictures of Mayor Hamilton standing in Waffle Town at a variety of festivals and shaking hands with different people. And there were even a few pictures of Gill, who was frowning at the camera in about every photo.

I laughed softly. 'Typical Gill.'

As I was about to turn away a small photo at the end of the mantle caught my eye.

The photo looked very old and very different from the other photos.

There was a pretty young woman standing in the photo. She had piercing deep blue eyes and long curly blonde hair. She was crouched down next to a young boy, who looked to be about seven or eight years of age.

The boy had short blonde hair with a strand flipped up and deep blue eyes just like the woman. The cute thing about this picture was that the woman and the boy were smiling.

I put my hand up and gently touched the boy's face through the glass framing. 'He looks so happy.'

Someone cleared their throat, catching my attention.

I looked above my head to see Gill peering over the stair banister. "Don't touch anything." he sneered.

I quickly took my hand back. "Sorry." I apologized.

He walked down the stairs, keeping his eyes on me until he reached the bottom of the stairs. "Did I ever give you permission to touch anything in this house?"

I rocked back on my heels and pursed my lips. "Actually, you told me to never go into your room." I responded.

He crossed his arms and flipped his bangs back. "You didn't answer my question." he objected.

I sighed. "No, you didn't"

Gill shook his head in dismay.

Then I pointed at him. "But, let me point out to that you told me, not once but twice, never to go into your room."

He uncrossed his arms and clapped slowly. "Bravo. It seems that you can actually listen to me for once." he taunted.

I began to glare at him. 'Okay, scratch out the idea of a change of heart. He's decided to be a grouch today.'

"So where are we going? Or do you have no idea on where are we going to spend this...'extravagant' day?" he asked, emphasizing on extravagant.

I glanced around the room, looking for an idea.

Gill tapped his foot impatiently. "I'm waiting." he grimaced.

As I looked out the window I spotted the lighthouse. 'That's it! The light house is on the beach, but nobody could see us because no one goes to it.'

"Um...well...I can't tell you." I replied.

He cocked an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"It's a surprise, remember?" I mentioned.

He growled. "I hate surprises."

I rolled my eyes at his attitude. "Well then, quit your whining and let's go. Stop acting so...anti-surprising."

With a few more growls and groans we finally left the house.

'Sheesh, I hope he's not gonna be like this all day.'

On our way to the lighthouse I stopped right in front of the Tailor Shop.

'Crap, I forgot to pick up that package. Stupid!' I scolded myself.

I turned to Gill. "Do you mind if we stop here? I placed an order here the other day and I need to pick it up."

"Fine." he sighed in reply. "It's not like we're in a hurry or anything."

We both walked into the Tailor Shop, listening to the ringing bell.

Shelly was standing behind the counter with Julius, discussing something about a suit, and Candace was at a sewing machine, working on a piece of cloth.

Gill cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention.

Shelly smiled. "Oh Ayame! Good morning." she greeted.

I smiled back. "Morning."

Julius waved at me. "Hello darling!"

I smiled awkwardly and waved back. "Hi Julius."

Candace smiled at me and went back to sewing.

Shelly hobbled over to us. "Ah, good morning Gill. You look well today." she commented as she smiled at him.

Gill simply nodded. "Thank you Shelly. You are looking lovely today."

The old woman blushed. "Aww, you're too sweet."

'Sweet? Sweet? Gill isn't sweet.'

Then Shelly looked at me. "I bet you're here for your order, right?"

I nodded.

She glanced over at Candace. "Candace is just about finished with it." she responded as she fixed her glasses into place.

Candace smiled softly. "It's a-almost done."

Shelly smiled back and then began picking up order sheets off the counter.

Julius smirked at us. "So what are you two doing?"

I raised a brow. "Picking up an order."

He shook his head. "No, I mean...are you two...you know..."

Shelly picked up a newspaper off the counter and smacked him on the way to the backroom. "Now now, Julius, we don't need to be poking into their private business."

"I wasn't; it was just a basic question." he defended.

"We don't need to be starting anymore fights today." she warned him as she hobbled back into the kitchen.

When she was out of sight Julius faced us again. "So, is it true?"

Gill scoffed. "Seriously? Me and her? You really think that I'd be dating her?"

'Well that bruised my ego a bit. Am I really that bad to be around?'

I raised a brow at him. "Oh gee, thanks for making me seem so terrible to be around. Really appreciate it."

Gill looked at me with a slight glare and I glared right back.

"So then, I take that as a 'no' then." Julius asked us.

Gill faced him. "What do you think?"

He shrugged. "I'm just curious. I don't think a **_certain someone_** would be happy to hear that sort of news. Which is why we'll just pretend it's true to mess with that someone." Julius walked over and then knocked on the wall by the stairs leading up. "Hey! Luna! You'd better come down here. We have guests!" he called out.

"Who is it?" Luna's voice mumbled from upstairs.

"It's Ayame!" Julius replied.

"I don't care about her!" Luna responded snobbishly.

'Well isn't that a nice little greeting. I guess today is the _**perfect day**_ to be insulted by everyone.'

Julius smirked. "And Gill's here too." he added mischievously.

Suddenly something crashed upstairs. Then there was a series of sounds of running feet above our heads.

'What the heck is going on up there?'

Within a few seconds, Luna appeared at the bottom of the stairs, catching her breath while leaning against the wall to keep her balance. Her appearance was the most hilarious thing ever.  
>I put my hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh.<p>

The flowers were falling out of her messy pink hair. Her dress was all wrinkled and off to one side to show off her nine inch heels that were twice her regular shoe size.

But the funniest thing was her face. She had a streak of pink lipstick leading away from her mouth and went down her jaw line. She also had fake eyelashes on her eyes.

She smiled at us. "Hello Gill! You're looking nice today." she greeted excitedly.

Gill raised an eyebrow slightly. "Yes...hello Luna." he greeted awkwardly.

She started to walk towards us when I noticed that she was tripping the whole way.

'Was she trying to act older? To impress Gill? Wow, epic fail.'

She stumbled as she got over to us and then posed with her head up high.

I accidentally let out a snort of laughter. 'This is too funny to be true.'

Luna shot a glare at me. Then she turned to Gill and smiled. "So what brings you here? Did you come to visit?" she asked flirtatiously.

Gill shook his head. I could see in his eyes that he was annoyed. "I came here with Ayame. We're out on the town together and decided to come here so she can pick up her order." he responded.

My face distorted. 'What is he doing? Is he actually playing Julius' game? And especially after those insults?'

Luna's face dropped. "Her? Why are you with her? Her outfits are completely hideous and she's got the personality of a dead dish rag. What does she have that's so wonderful about her?" she exclaimed as she pointed at me.

Shelly glared at her granddaughter as she came back into the room. "Luna. Need I remind you that you're grounded for the rest of the week? Do you want another week?" she asked angrily.

Luna sighed. "No Grandma."

"Then apologize to Ayame."

Luna glared at me. "Sorry." she said quickly.

Shelly nodded her head. "That's better. Now, go clean your room."

Luna's eyes widened and gasped. "What?"

"You heard me young lady. Go clean your room." Shelly repeated.

Luna stomped her foot. "No!"

Shelly pointed her finger towards the stairs. "Get up to your room right now!" she commanded angrily.

Luna crossed her arms, stomping her foot again. "Humph!"

Julius started laughing. "Wow, for a little girl who's trying to act older, she's not doing such a good job at it."

Luna gasped and glared at him. "I am not acting! I am older than I look." she argued.

Julius shook his head. "No, you're not. You're stomping your foot like a five year old at a toy store."

Luna turned her head away from Julius. "Ha! Like I'd ever throw a tantrum in a toy store. Toys are for babies."

Julius smirked. "Oh okay then." Then he pulled something out from behind his back. "Then you wouldn't mind if I should throw this stuffed bunny in the garbage?" he tautly asked.

Luna slowly turned her head in horror as she saw Julius holding her stuffed bunny. "No! Not Miss Bun Bun!" she screamed.

Julius dangled the bunny by its paw over the garbage can. Then he lowered it tauntingly into the basket. "Ohh, I'm gonna drop it." he taunted.

Luna stumbled over her heels as she ran to Julius frantically. "No! Give her back!" she screeched.

Julius bolted upstairs with her little captive as Luna chased after him, clumsily tripping the whole way.

Shelly hobbled after them. "Julius! You got back here this instant! I mean it!" she yelled as she slowly climbed the stairs.

I couldn't help but laugh at the scene that just occurred. 'Despite all of the crazy events that happened today this by far took the cake.'

Gill cleared his throat, causing my laughter to halt. "I'll be outside; it's too stuffy in here." he said as he left the shop.

'What's with him today? That bi polar attitude is driving me nuts.'

I shrugged off the thought and walked over to Candace where she was sewing the last piece of string on the bandanna.

The bandanna was green with blue flames on the edges of it, just like how I ordered it.

"Wow Candace. That looks great." I complemented.

She looked up at me with her smoky blue eyes. "T-thanks Ayame." she stuttered as she smiled.

I smiled back. I always loved how cute she could be when she's shy.

Candace turned back to her sewing machine. "So...w-why are you here with Gill?" Then she gasped. "Oh! I shouldn't be asking you about your life." she quickly apologized.

I pulled up a chair from another sewing machine and sat down. "No it's okay. I'm just out with him while he's on a break." I explained.

She smiled. "That's nice. So y-you guys aren't really dating then?"

I shook my head. "Nah, he's too much of a stick in the mud. I'm just trying to get him to open up more. He's always so conceited and secretive."

She laughed softly. "T-that's Gill for you."

I laughed with her. 'So at least I'm not the only one who thinks that.'

Then I remember my little lie that I told Luke earlier. 'I'd hate to drag poor little Candace into it though.'

Over the next few minutes I quickly explained to her my little lie and mentioned her in it. "So if Luke comes by and asks, can you tell him I went somewhere else?" I asked, ending my story.

She paused for a second. "Well...I-I hate to lie, but I'll do it for my best friend." she responded.

I smiled and hugged her tightly. "Thanks Candace. You're a sweetheart."

Suddenly there was a crash upstairs. "Julius! Give me back Miss Bun Bun!" Luna's voice echoed through the shop.

"Never!" Julius shouted. There was another crash.

I looked at Candace. "Are those two siblings?"

Candace shook her head. "Luna is my sister. Julius is an apprentice for my grandma."

I stared at her, majorly confused. 'Luna? The fashion brat is Candace's sister? She's nothing like her! Candace is sweet and shy and Luna is loud and rude. Well I guess they're major opposites.'

She laughed softly. "I know it m-might be a little strange, Luna being my sister and all. Nobody expected it to be true. She may be rude sometimes and she likes to pick on me, but she's my sister and I love her no matter what."

I smiled. 'Well I guess that's good that she cares about her little sister.'

"Ow! Why'd ya hit me so hard?" Julius screamed in pain, breaking out conversation.

"Because you shouldn't be running all over the house and smashing everything in sight. That will be coming out of your paycheck." Shelly yelled.

"What?" Julius shrieked.

Luna laughed. "Ha ha! You got in trouble!"

"Oh no, you're in trouble too, missy. That's another week of grounding for you." Shelly yelled at Luna.

"Grandma!" Luna whined.

"Ha! Now you're in trouble." Julius taunted.

"Do you want to be hit with my cane again?" Shelly yelled.

Candace and I burst out laughing at the fight that we were hearing upstairs. 'Wow, didn't know that Shelly had it in her.'

After a minute went by Shelly came back downstairs. "Sorry I was gone for so long. I had to teach those two a lesson." she apologized.

"G-Grandma? Did you really hit Julius with your cane?" Candace asked meekly.

Shelly simply shrugged her tiny shoulders. "Well I had to get him to stop somehow. I didn't break anything or injure him at all. He might have a bruise, but that's all."

I was surprised. 'Little granny Shelly had a tough side. Go Shelly!'

"So Dearie, you want to take the bandanna or do you want me to deliver it to your house, seeing that you're with Gill?" Shelly explained as she glanced over at the shop window where Gill was standing.

"I guess that you could send it to my house. Or if you see Luke you can give it to him." Then I spotted a piece of scrap paper. "You know, do you mind if I write something on it?"

Shelly gave me the paper and grabbed a pen for me. "Go ahead, Dearie. Write whatever you wish."

I quickly scribbled a message onto it and then gave it to Shelly. "Can you put this on it? It's a little note for Luke."

Shelly took it from my hand. "Sure Dearie."

"Thanks." I said as I reached into my pocket for some money.

Shelly put up her hand. "No charge Dearie, it's on me." she responded.

"Oh no, I couldn't do that to you guys." I assured her.

"Nonsense! It's okay. You're such a sweet girl and you're a really good friend to Candace. Think of it as a gift." she insisted.

I smiled at her. "Thank you so much."

After that I said my good-bye's and headed out of the shop.

Gill was staring out at the ocean when I was outside.

'Wonder what he's thinking about?' I thought.

I cleared my throat, catching his attention.

He turned around to face me with an eyebrow cocked. "Took you long enough." he commented.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Sorry, I had to wait until the fight was resolved. Heh, it got pretty ugly in there." I laughed.

He huffed and turned away. "Are we going to go now? I'm getting impatient." he complained.

I sighed in frustration and began walking. 'Is he gonna be like this all day?'

Gill was silent the whole way. It looked like there was something on his mind. But what?

When we finally reached the lighthouse, I stopped.

"Why are we stopping?" Gill asked.

I looked at him and gestured to the lighthouse. "Ta-da!" I cheered.

He raised an eyebrow. "**_'Ta-da'_** what?"

My face fell. "Ta-da, this is it."

"What is?"

I slapped my forehead. "This is where I planned to go. So, surprise!" I yelled out.

He was silent as he stared at the old building.

We walked over to the lighthouse and sat down on the beach below it.

I took off my shoes and sunk my feet into the cool sand. "Ahhh...that feels nice." Then I looked over at Gill. "So? What do you think? Did I pick a good place or what?"

"I'm not impressed. This place is boring." Gill complained.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, tough, I chose this place and you're gonna stay here whether you like it or not."

He groaned and crossed his arms.

I sighed at his childish attitude. "You're such a baby."

He gasped. "I am not!"

"Are too." I shot back.

"If anyone is being called 'childish', it should be you."

"I said 'baby', not 'childish'." I pointed out.

"Whatever." he mumbled.

I looked up at the sky. "On the other hand, they both mean the same thing, I guess." I added.

Gill scoffed. "No they don't."

I turned my head towards him. "Yeah they are."

"No they're not."

"Says who?"

"Says me, the smart one." he responded.

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever you say, Mr. Pompous."

Gill groaned. "You are such an annoying idiot."

I shrugged my shoulders. "It's a gift."

Now it was silent. The only noises that could be heard were the surroundings around us. The sound of the ocean current slapping the sand. The screeches of seagulls flying above our heads in the fluffy clouds. The sound of a boat honking in the distance. Must be Pascal coming back.

I decided to sit down on the sand and leaned back on my elbows. Then I looked up at Gill expectantly.

He looked down at me. "What?"

I patted the spot next to me. "Come on, sit down."

He looked back at the ocean. "I'll get my pants covered in sand."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh come on, live a little. You can just dust it off, it's not mud."

He stayed silent for a little bit and then he surrendered, sitting down right next to me.

This felt nice...in a weird way, seeing all of our stupid arguing that went on all morning.

Now we were both calm and quiet. Hopefully it stayed this way.

Gill cleared his throat. "So, how did you get past the idiot?"

I sighed. "I lied to him."

Gill glanced over at me as he raised his eyebrows. "You...lied? What did you say?"

"I told him that I was going to spend the day with the girls."

"Well, I am certainly not a girl."

I smirked. "Really? I thought you looked like one to me." I joked.

Gill rolled his eyes. "You are such a nuisance sometimes."

"A nuisance? I am not a nuisance."

Gill brushed his hair back. "Not all the time, but you are right now."

"How am I a nuisance?"

He shrugged. "Well..." he paused. "You..."

I cut him off. "You can't find anything wrong with me. So why call me a nuisance?"

He shook his head. "You're...you're just annoying."

I chuckled. "So...I'm just annoying. That's the only reason. Wow...that's **_some_** reason. Come on Gill, you can think of a better reason than that."

He glared out at the ocean. "Okay." He growled under his breath. "You're ten times more annoying than Luke."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh what a shock, you say that all the time to me." I responded sarcastically.

"Maybe you're exactly like him. You don't care about anyone but yourself. A really selfish person."

That got my attention.

I stared. "What are you talking about?"

He crossed his arms. "You heard me. That idiot doesn't care about anyone but himself. Ha! And you're probably just as selfish as he is."

I glared at him. "I'm not selfish! And neither is Luke!"

He merely shrugged and looked out at the sea.

'Something is really wrong with him today. I've never seen him this mean before. Of course he's been a grouch and a busybody since the day I've met him, but today...he's acting even grouchier than usual. Something is definitely up.'

"Why do you think that..." He took a short breath. "That **_lowlife idiot_** is not selfish?"

I started to breath heavy, trying to keep myself from punching him in the face. "He's a really sweet guy. He cares about all of his friends."

Gill rolled his eyes.

"He's remodeling my house for me. He's taking all of his free time to build my house. And, he's going against his father's rules, for me." I added.

Gill sputtered. "Pfft, please. He'd do that for you because he obviously has feelings for you. You guys are perfect for each other. The 'annoying' and the 'idiot'." he said as he stood up.

I stood up angrily, clutching my fists at my sides. "Oh yeah? Who am I then?" I asked through my gritting teeth.

He rubbed his chin as he pondered. "Hmm...well I was thinking about the idiot, or maybe you're the annoying one. I can't really decide." Then he paused. "Or maybe...I was referring both of them to you."

I started back at him angrily. I'm sure that my boiling point was on the rise.

'Why was he acting like this? What the heck did I do to set him off like this?'

"You know what, Luke should be called the freak, nimrod, moron, lunatic, psychopath, stupid-" I cut him off by slapping him across the face.

He stared at me in shock as he put a hand up to his cheek.

I panted heavily as I felt tears form in my eyes.

I've never actually hit a person before, but for once I felt like this was the perfect time to hit someone. How dare he say all those things about Luke!

"What in the world did you do that for?" Gill shouted angrily.

I bowed my head. "Shut up." I said softly.

"What? I can't hear you."

I shot my head up. "I said, shut up!" I screamed.

Gill glared at me as he stepped a foot back from me and rubbed his ears. "You don't have to shout."

I glared at him. "Well then, you don't have to talk crap about Luke."

He threw his hands into the air. "Why should I? I just don't know why you would stand up for that weirdo." he replied as his tone became harsher.

I put my finger up to his face. "You'd better cut the crap right now or both of your cheeks are gonna have red hand print marks." I warned.

He pushed my hand out of his face. "I do hope that you mean my face."

I put my finger back in his face. "I do."

He leaned back a little.

I put my hand down. "What do you have against Luke? I don't get why you're always cutting on him like that, especially today."

He shrugged. "I'm just stating the truth." he stated matter-of-fact.

I threw my hands up. "What truth? You've got no evidence stating that he's a selfish person." I pointed out.

He pointed to the side of his head. "All the evidence is right up here."

I tilted my head to the side. "Huh?"

He exhaled loudly. "It's all from memory."

My expression was twisted in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

He groaned and rubbed his sore cheek that I slapped. From the looks of it, there was a slightly red hand print forming on it. "You just wouldn't understand. Especially if you can't even understand what I'm referring to." he said in a calmer tone.

"Understand what?"

"You ask too many questions."

"Well of course I understand that."

"Not that."

"Then what is it? The only reason I ask all those questions is for a reason why you hate Luke so much. Now, spill." I commanded.

Gill stood there silently and clutched his fists at his sides as he looked away from me. "He didn't care about anything but himself that day. He couldn't even care about that little boy's life." he spoke softly.

'Little boy?'

"What that **_little_** event could do to that boy. That event caused that boy to be the way he is today." he said as his voice grew louder. Then he turned his body completely away from me.

I walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "What boy?" I asked softly.

His voice began to tremble as he mumbled something quietly.

"What?" I asked him to repeat.

"Me." he replied quietly.

My eyes widened. "Y-you?"

I heard him sniff. "Yes. That one event caused me to hate him. He did something to me that nobody can fix or ever change." he explained, his voice breaking in between sentences.

'Is he crying?'

"Gill?" I asked softly.

He kept his face turned away from me.

"Gill, what happened? What did Luke do?"

He turned his head slowly to me.

I was stunned.

His eyes were puffy and red with fresh tears streaming down his face. He was crying.

"Gill?" I repeated.

Gill bit his bottom lip and blinked the newly formed tears in his eyes. "He killed my mother!" he cried out.

My heart stopped.

Suddenly Gill pushed me aside and took off running up the hill into town.

I stood on the beach in shock, trying to recollect what Gill had just said.

'Gill's mother was killed by Luke? That's impossible. Owen said that Gill's mother died of a heart attack. How could Luke cause a heart attack? There has to be more to that. But why am I just standing here while the mayor's son is running away, crying his eyes out? He could get hurt.' I broke out of my thoughts and ran after Gill.

"Gill!" I screamed.

As I ran up the hill, I caught a glance of a figure standing behind the lighthouse.

'That person just saw the whole scene that occurred. Great, this day is getting crazier and crazier by the minute.'

But right now that doesn't matter. What matters is that I need to find Gill, and quick.

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><p><strong>Whoa! You probably weren't expecting that! I know, I'm sooo evil for ending that chapter right there. Mwahaha...wow I feel like Moriarty from 'Sherlock'. Ha! I even have 'Staying Alive' for a ringtone just like him. Oh boy, I'm completely obsessed with that show...I apologize. lol <strong>

**Anyways, away from me and my obsessions lol...I hoped that you all loved this new chapter. I promise that I'll try to get the next one out as fast as I can...and I won't leave you hanging for long. I can promise you that, because I know it was a bad idea to leave you hanging there. Like I said, I'll try to get it done. Please review and message me! I really love getting them! Even if they're short. It really helps me out! Thanks everyone!  
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	14. Lies and Burned Pancakes

**Hey everyone! Well what did you think of that cliffhanger from the last chapter? Pretty crazy, huh? Haha! Well I'm glad to have this next chapter out for you guys. But...I may anger some of you readers, you won't be able to find out about Gill until the next chapter...yeah sorry about that. Right now, we are gonna look into what Luke is up to while all of that drama was going on with Gill and Ayame. I know you were expecting to see what happened...but rest assured the next chapter will be posted hopefully before I leave for Disney World at the end of the month. I'll be gone for an entire week and I won't be back until the first week of July. That's why I HAVE to get the next few chapters out so I don't leave you hanging for so long. Trust me, it's gonna get DRAMATIC in the next few chapters!  
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**ALSO VERY IMPORTANT: I may start re-editing the first couple chapters to fix some small mistakes and to add a couple things to them. Just letting you all know.  
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**Anyways, here's the next chapter in this story. I hope you all enjoy this one. REVIEWS ARE ALWAYS WELCOMED NO MATTER HOW SHORT OR LONG THEY ARE; THEY'RE ALWAYS APPRECIATED! haha Thanks everyone! Enjoy!  
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************NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.************

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><p><strong><span>~ Luke's P.O.V. ~<span> **

"At last! My greatest creation has been completed!" I screamed out as I started doing a victory dance.

Ayame's house was finally finished! After about a week of hard work, I'm finally finished. My dad would be so proud of me for getting done in record time. But then again, he'd be furious with me for disobeying his rules.

"Okay dude, you can stop with the 'Dexter's Laboratory' act."

I stopped my victory dance to see Owen standing down below.

Here I was, standing on the roof of Ayame's house, dancing around like a lunatic. Well, I guess that isn't anything different in my life. I do that practically everyday.

I climbed down from the roof. "Hey, you've got to admit that my impressions are getting better." I pointed out.

Owen rolled his eyes. "Yeah they are." he said sarcastically.

I smiled in triumph. "Even if you're being sarcastic I'm still the best."

*cough* "Not." *cough* he coughed out.

I punched his arm. "Shut up!"

This was typical for both of us; we'd joke and then we'd playfully punch each other. It looks like it hurts, but neither of us really care; it's more like a tap on the arm.

He sighed as he looked out at the ocean. "You're dad's gonna be here any day now. When are you gonna tell him?"

I looked at him frantically. "We're not telling him anything; especially about staying at Ayame's."

He ran his hand over the spikes in his hair. "Okay, but how are you gonna explain about Bo's illness? Bo kept telling you to stop throwing him into the ocean. But you didn't listen."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." I mumbled as I leaned against the tree next to the house.

"If I remember correctly, Bo said and I quote, 'I'm gonna die if Luke doesn't stop pushing me into the ocean.' Chloe is watching him and making sure that my uncle Ramsey isn't going to see him in bed with the flu and call your dad. He's already getting a little suspicious with your absence at the Carpentry. Your dad told my uncle that if you broke any of his rules, then he'd call him."

I looked at him suspiciously. "Did you tell your uncle anything?"

Owen looked up at the sky. "No." he said under his breath.

I tossed my hammer into my tool box. "Then I've got nothing to worry about."

Owen shoved his hands into his pockets. "So are we getting lunch now?"

I smirked and raised an eyebrow. "Why so anxious? Trying to see Kathy?" I asked, making kissy noises.

He glared at me. "No, I'm just anxious to get an omelet." he responded, slightly angered.

"What? An omelet made with love from your girlfriend?" I taunted.

He put a gloved finger in my face. "You'd better cut the crap or I'm gonna tell your dad that you're staying at Ayame's." he warned.

I put my hands up defensively. "Okay, okay. I'll stop."

Owen removed his hand from my face. "Let's go."

Owen may be one of my best friends, but I've got to be careful around him. I don't want to be blackmailed with one of my biggest secrets that could ruin my life. Owen's blackmailing skills have been really improving. Maybe I should stop telling him about my little blackmailing threats against Bo; they seem to be rubbing off on him.

When we walked into the Inn, it was fairly quiet. Since there wasn't anyone in the café, Owen and I just sat at our usual table to wait on our waitress.

Soon enough, Kathy ran over to our table with the clomping sound of her cowboy boots against the wooden floor. "Hey guys!"

"Hey Kathy." we both greeted.

She glanced over her shoulder with a worried look on her face.

"Something the matter Kat?" Owen asked.

She looked back at us and leaned in close to us. "Maya's in the kitchen." she whispered.

I shrugged my shoulders. "So? She's always in the kitchen." I replied as I glanced at the menu in my hands.

Kathy shook her head. "No, you don't get it. Maya's _**cooking**_." she emphasized.

The menu fell out of my hands as my eyes grew huge.

Owen's face turned pale white with horror.

I glanced over to the kitchen to see Maya putting spice into a pot on the stove. My stomach began to churn.

One huge fact about Maya, she works in the kitchen at the Inn, but she's a horrible cook. I mean the **_worst_ **cook in the entire universe.

Last Christmas she made some kind of nasty concoction. I think it was moving when it sat on the dining table. I remember throwing it into the ocean after she left. And I could've sworn that I saw a couple of fish rise to the surface, dead. Just the memory of that made me shudder.

I turned back to Kathy. "Why is she cooking?" I asked in a sharp whisper.

Kathy shook her head. "She's trying to impress Chase again. Obviously he's not impressed."

Owen looked around the room. "Speaking of Chase, where is he?"

Kathy glanced around. "Hiding. I don't know where, but as long as he's hidden, he's in the clear."

"Why doesn't anyone tell her that her cooking sucks?" I asked.

"Oh we tell her all the time, but that doesn't stop her; nothing does."

"Nice." I replied sarcastically as I looked at my menu again.

Kathy pulled out a notepad and pen. "The usual, boys?"

Owen and I both nodded.

Before Kathy could leave our table there was a huge crash in the kitchen. We all turned our attention to the kitchen that was now covered in smoke.

"Oh boy, here we go again." I anticipated.

Maya emerged from the smoke covered kitchen, coughing and hacking. She had a plate with a pile of black slop on it.

My stomach dropped at the sight of the nasty crap that Maya just cooked.

She spotted us and ran over to us. "Hey guys!" she squealed.

We all greeted her awkwardly.

Then she began looking around the room. "Have you guys seen Chase anywhere? I've got a new dish for him to try."

"Nope." said Owen

"Haven't seen him." I added.

"Me neither." Kathy piped up.

Maya shook her head. "Oh I know he's somewhere." Then her gaze was on us. "Anyways, maybe you guys could try my new dish." she suggested as she held out her nasty concoction out to us. The smells of it smelled like twenty year old garbage or a dead fish.

I felt like I was going to barf, and I hadn't even taken a bite of it yet.

I put my hand over my stomach. "Oh no thanks, Maya. I'm not hungry for some of those...umm...well delicious...blackberry pancakes." I responded carefully trying not to insult her.

Her face twisted in confusion and then smiled. "These aren't blackberry pancakes, silly." she said happily.

My eyes widened. "They're...not?"

She shook her head. "No, it's orange cake."

My hand flew to my mouth to keep myself from barfing on the table.

Owen looked at little green. "Is that even edible?"

Kathy slapped him in the back of his head.

Maya nodded. "Sure it is."

'On what planet? Saturn?' I thought to myself.

"Um...no thanks, Maya. Luke and I just ordered. Sorry." Owen replied.

Maya's expression turned sad. "Oh..."

Kathy patted her shoulder. "That's okay Maya. I'm sure that...someone...will try your dish." she assured.

Her face perked up. "Really? Does that mean that you would like some?" she suggested.

Kathy stepped back and put up her hands defensively. "No! I couldn't! I just ate a big lunch." she replied quickly.

I let out a small laugh.

Maya's expression turned sad again.

Then Jake came downstairs. "Hey kids!"

We all greeted him.

Maya ran over to him. "Daddy, will you try my new dish?"

Jake's eyes grew huge. "Oh...no thanks sweetie. I'm not hungry at the moment. Why don't you ask Chase?" he suggested.

"I can't find him anywhere."

Jake secretly made his way to the door. "I'm sure he'll turn up somewhere." he said as he bolted out the front door.

Wow, even her own father is afraid of her cooking.

Maya turned back to us. "I wonder where Chase went. Oh well, I guess that I'll go check outside then." she said as she opened the door.

Then she closed it, but she was still standing inside the room.

'Oh boy, I know exactly what she's doing.'

Suddenly Chase popped up from behind the lobby desk. "Is she gone?" he asked.

'He's a goner.'

"Chase!" Maya squealed.

Chase looked at her like he saw a ghost. "M-Maya?" he screeched.

She ran over to the desk. "I made you a new dish to try. It's your favorite! Orange cake!" she squealed as she pushed the plate into his face.

Chase ran away from her and ran towards the door. "No thanks! I gotta go!" he yelled as he ran outside, leaving the front door open.

Maya ran after him. "But Chase, wait! You've got to try it!" she called as she ran out the door.

We all sat dumbfounded as we watched the front door that was left wide open, taking in the whole scene that just occurred.

When we all looked at each others expressions, we couldn't help but start laughing.

Typical comedy for a small island town. It was dorky and cheesy, but we all loved it.

As we all calmed down we all noticed Candace walk in, closing the door behind her. She jumped as she caught our gazes. "Oh! I'm s-sorry. D-did I interrupt something?" she asked quietly.

I waved my hand. "Nah, you just missed another one of Maya's disastrous dish dilemmas."

Candace walked over to a table near the kitchen and sat down.

"Um...hey Candace? You're welcome to sit with us if you'd like." Owen suggested.

Candace twiddled her thumbs. "O-oh, I don't want to bother you guys." she said quietly.

"Nah it's okay. You're welcome over here." I replied.

She got up from her table and walked over to our table. When she reached us she sat down next to me.

I looked down at her arm to spot a small brown package tucked under her arm.

"What can I get you, Candace?" Kathy asked, getting her notepad ready for ordering.

"Umm...s-some herbal tea." she replied.

Kathy scribbled it down in her notepad and headed back into the kitchen.

I looked down at the package. "Hey Candace, what's up with the package?"

"O-oh, I was delivering it." she replied.

Owen looked down at it. "Who's it for?"

She put the package on the table. "I-I was delivering for A-Ayame." she stuttered.

I looked down at the package to spot a little white tag taped to it. It read 'Luke'. 'Wait, me?'

"Hey, it says that it's for me." I told her.

She looked down. "O-oh yes it does. I forgot that it was for you."

I put my hand on the package. "Do you mind if I open it, after all, it is my package?" I asked.

"S-sure. Ayame told me to give it to you if I saw you."

I pulled the package over to me. "She did? Well tell her..." I stopped in mid-sentence. 'Wait a minute; wasn't Ayame supposed to be hanging out with Candace and Kathy today? But if Candace is sitting here with us while delivering a package and Kathy is working here at the Inn, then why isn't Ayame with either one of them? And more importantly, where is she?'

I looked down at my package. "Candace, I thought Ayame was supposed to be hanging out with you today."

Candace gasped lightly. "O-oh yeah, well we hung out at the Tailor shop for awhile and then she left."

"Did she say where she was going?"

Candace shook her head as Kathy came out with our food and drinks.

"Here you go guys." she said as she passed out everyone's orders.

I looked up at her. "Hey Kathy, did Ayame come by here today?"

She blinked in confusion. "No, I haven't seen her since yesterday. Why do you ask?" she replied as she handed Owen his glass of apple juice.

"She told me that she was going to spend the day with you and Candace."

Kathy looked a bit shocked as she set my omelet in front of me. "I don't remember making plans with her. Well, if I see her I'll let you know." she responded as she walked back into the kitchen.

Candace took a few sips of her tea and put her money on the table. "I-I'll see you guys l-later." she stuttered as she scurried out the door.

"Well she left...quick." Owen said.

I sipped my drink. "Do you think that she knows something that we don't know?" I mused.

Owen shrugged. "Could be."

We both ate our food in silence, avoiding the strange question that was confusing both of us.

After Owen was done he got up from the table. "I'm heading back to the mine. My uncle's probably going to check on Bo and Chloe, so I need to cover for you." he said as he made his way to the door. "By the way, where do you want me to say where you're staying?"

I waved my hand. "Tell him...I'm staying here at the Inn. So that I'm closer to Ayame's house. I'll tell Kathy my situation." I replied as I looked down at the empty plate in front of me.

Owen noticed my expression. "Hey, everything will be okay. Ayame probably needed to run a few errands or she had something important to do."

I sighed. "But Ayame would tell me where she was going. She always let me know. Why would she lie to me?"

Owen shrugged. "I don't know, maybe she needed to do something in secret."

I looked up at him. "You know, that's not really helping me."

"Sorry dude. She'll turn up and maybe she'll tell you the truth when she gets home."

I put my arms on the table and rested my chin on them. "I guess."

"Okay then, I'll see ya dude." With that, he left the Inn.

Kathy walked over to my table and began clearing the empty plates.

I looked down at my package. 'Is she hiding something from me? Did I do something wrong? I'm really confused.'

"Well, aren't ya gonna open it? It has your name on it, doesn't it?" Kathy asked, picking up the messy plate in front of me.

I exhaled. "Yeah, I'm just confused about Ayame just leaving and not telling me the truth about where she was going."

Kathy shrugged as she piled the empty plates. "Well, she might have had something pretty important come up."

I leaned on my arm that was now propped up on the table. "But why wouldn't she tell me, her best friend?" I asked.

"She's my best friend too, but people do that sometimes." she explained while picking up the stack of plates.

I put both of my arms on the table and buried my face into them, groaning.

"Hey, do you want some cake? Made it myself." she asked.

I nodded my buried head.

Faintly, I could hear her clomping boots as she walked away.

I lifted my head and looked at the package. 'I wonder what's in here.' I thought as grabbed it and began to rip the brown paper off.

My eyes widened as I stared at a piece of cloth. I picked it up and unfolded it.

It was a brand new green bandana with blue flames around the edges. Wow, how did she know that I needed a new one?

I glanced down at the ripped up wrapping paper where I found a little piece of white paper taped to it. It looked like a folded up note.

I carefully ripped it off and unfolded it. It was a note from Ayame.

'_Dear Luke, _

_I wrote this for you to prove my gratitude for all you've done for me. I'm sorry that I've made you take up all your time to remodel my house for me. But I've got to admit, if I had anyone to remodel my house, I'm glad it was you. I'm also apologizing if your dad finds out about our little sleepovers we had, I'm sorry ahead of time. Anyways I'm really glad that you're my best friend. You're always there for me when I need you and I can always count on you no matter what. I'm really glad to have met you.  
><em>

_Sincerely, _

_Your best friend in the whole world, Ayame'_

I smiled at the note. As I set it down on the table, the little print at the bottom of the note caught my eye.

'_P.S. Happy Birthday'_

My eyes were wide open. My birthday? Oh my gosh. I completely forgot my own birthday. Today was my eighteenth birthday, and I forgot all about it. Wow, I must be a really stupid person. Epic fail.

I glanced down at the note again and smiled. 'Thanks Ayame.' I thought to myself.

"What's that?" a voice asked.

I looked up to find myself staring into a pair of brown eyes.

"Hi Lukiekins."

I blinked. "Oh, hi Selena."

Selena smiled and sat across from me.

I showed her my present. "I got a new bandana."

She smiled. "That's nice. Who'd ya get it from?"

"Ayame got it for me." I replied.

Her eye slightly twitched, but she shook it off. "Oh...that was...nice. Why'd she get it for you?"

"For being a great friend and I guess she remembered that it was my birthday too." I replied as I tied the bandana around my arm.

"Oh, how sweet." She interlaced her fingers on the table. "Actually I just saw her a few minutes ago."

My heart jumped. "You did? Where is she?"

Selena tossed her bangs back. "She was at the lighthouse on the beach, but she ran off."

I sunk back in my seat. "Oh."

Then she tapped her long nails on the table. "Someone was with her though." she mused.

I looked at her confusingly. "Who?"

She slightly smirked. "That blonde haired boy with the sweater vest."

My heart sank to my stomach. "Gill?"

"Yeah, that's him. They were sitting together on the beach, talking."

I looked at her confusingly. "What was she doing with him?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, but they looked pretty comfy together."

I felt sick. 'Why was Ayame with Gill? Was that why she didn't want me to know?'

"Did anything happen when you saw them?"

Selena snapped her fingers. "Oh that's right, something did happen."

I leaned forward in my seat, attentively waiting for her response. "What?"

She leaned back in her chair. "She put her hand on his face. Well actually, I think she slapped him."

I nearly choked on my own saliva. "What?"

She nodded.

"Why'd she slap him?"

"I think Gill was making her angry or she was making him angry. I couldn't hear the conversation; they both looked pretty mad though. But from the looks of it, I think one of them was trying to put 'the moves' on the other."

'Putting the moves on the other?' I thought frantically.

I was in utter shock. "Which one was it?"

She twirled a strand of her hair. "I think it was Ayame. She's a flirty one, isn't she?"

I looked at her confusingly. "Flirty? That doesn't sound like Ayame at all."

Of course there was that little stunt she pulled on me at the Flower Festival; pretending to be in love with me and trying to seduce me so she could get the Blue Mist flower from me. Wow, I still can't believe that she pulled that off.

"Looks can be deceiving Lukiekins."

I leaned on my elbow. "What else happened?"

She pursed her lips. "Gill ran away from her; crying from the looks of it."

My eyes were as huge as dinner plates. 'Gill was crying?'

"I was shocked to see the mayor's son, crying; He doesn't seem to be the crying type. She must have done something pretty nasty to make him cry.; She tilted her head to the side. "Honestly, I don't know how you can hang out with her."

I looked at her, slightly angered. "She's my best friend. I know she'd never do anything mean. Even if it is Sissy Prissy Boy. She's not that cold hearted. And she'd never have any feelings for **_him_** either."

"Well, I'm sorry if I offended you or her at all." Selena got up from her chair. "I just thought that I should fill you in on what's going on. I thought that you'd want to know where your **_friend_** was."

I didn't respond back to her comment as I stared down at Ayame's note.

She shrugged. "Oh well, I'll see ya later Lukiekins." she said as she walked over the door. "Oh, and happy birthday to you." With those final words, she left.

Kathy came over to my table and sat a piece of cake in front of me. It was a small piece of chocolate cake with a burning candle on it.

"What was that all about?" she asked.

I said nothing.

Kathy looked down at me. "You okay?"

I slowly nodded.

She sat down in the chair across from me.

"I believe you. I know Ayame wouldn't do anything like that." she said finally.

I stayed quiet as I looked depressingly down at the note.

"Hey, come on. That could just be Selena gossiping. You know her; 'The Gossip Queen'."

I looked up at her. "But what if she has a crush on Gill?"

"We don't know that for sure; besides I've never even seen her around him or even talk about him before." Then she raised an eyebrow slightly. "Wait, am I sensing a little bit of jealously?"

My head shot up. "What? N-no!"

She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, eyeing me suspiciously. "Right," she replied sarcastically. "You keep saying that, but you don't mean it."

I stared at her. "How do you know that? How do you know how I feel?"

She shifted in her chair. "Trust me, I can tell. I'm a woman and I know these things."

"Fine, then enlighten me."

"When she walks in the room, your face lights up. When you ask her out and she says 'yes', you're just bounding down the happy trail. And you're constantly wondering why she's around other guys, namely Gill."

I crossed my arms and shifted uncomfortably in my chair. "So?"

She smirked. "You like her."

My heart jumped. "What? No! I don't like her. I mean...I don't like her like**_ that_**...I just." I stuttered.

Kathy put her arms on the table, leaning closer towards me. "Let me ask you some things. Do you get nervous around her?"

"Well...kind of-"

"Do you blush around her?"

I began glancing around the room, trying to avoid her smirk. "Um...maybe once or twice." I replied, thinking back to the Flower Festival and the shower incident yesterday.

She nodded her head. "Have you ever tried to kiss her or had the urge to?"

My stomach began to churn as I remembered that I did almost kiss her yesterday before we left for the Sundae Inn. My mouth began to twitch a bit.

She kept her serious stare at me, mocking me to answer her.

It was like she was seeing right through me.

I put my head down on the table. "Yes." I murmured, accepting defeat.

She chuckled. "I knew it. You definitely have feelings for her."

I sighed, waiting to hear what her next response was going to be.

"So, does she know yet?"

My head shot up. "What?"

"I said, does she know yet?" she repeated.

"Knows what?"

Kathy slapped her forehead. "That you might have feelings for her, stupid."

I looked down at the table again. "Oh."

"Seriously Luke, you don't get anything about girls. Just tell her how you feel about her or try to express your feelings to her." She sighed as she got up from the table. "She'll understand."

I stared up at her. "But I don't know how I feel about her. Maybe I'm just going through a phase or something."

She looked at me stupidly. "Luke, you don't suddenly have an urge to kiss your best friend and think that you're going through a phase. You have a crush on Ayame."

I felt a lump in the back of my throat. "A crush? You think I might have a crush on Ayame?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I think you might. Trust me, I know."

I stared back at her dumbfounded.

"I'd better get back to work." Then she looked down at my piece of cake. "Oh, I saw the note, or at least the bottom part. I'm really sorry that I forgot, so happy birthday." And with that she went back into the kitchen.

I looked solemnly at the dancing flame on the candle of my birthday cake.

'Is Ayame a liar? Did she really flirt with Gill? Do I really care about Ayame's feelings or do I just want her to...wait a minute. Do I have feelings for her? Why am I asking all these questions?'

'She's my best friend, but there are times where I want to be with her all the time. Like I never want to let her go...'

'Maybe Kathy is right. I think I really like Ayame more than just my best friend.'

Fed up with my thoughts, I took a deep breath and blew out the candle.

'What do I wish for? For that rumor to be a lie or for me to get to courage to tell Ayame how I feel about her? I guess I'll have to decide that later.'

I sighed. "Happy birthday to me."

**~ End of Luke's P.O.V. ~ **

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><p><strong>~ Gill's P.O.V. ~<strong>

Alone. I'm always alone. I don't need any friends. I don't need a girlfriend or a wife. I just want to be alone.

I pushed my legs harder to get away. I ran as fast as I had ever run in my whole life.

Those words I cried out to her still rang through my head.

'He killed my mother!'

Tears stung my eyes as more spilled out.

She wouldn't understand. No one would.

I slowed down as I came upon the place where I needed to go. It looked so quiet as I walked through the rusty old gates. The plants looked wilted around the small closed in area. The stones of the dead surrounded me with an emotion of sadness. But one stone stood out among the rest.

I slowly walked over to it and crouched down in front of it. Carefully, I traced my fingers over the carved words in it.

'Amelia Hamilton.'

My mouth quivered as I opened it. "H...hello Mother."

It was silent as a light gust of wind blew across my face.

"How are you?" I asked.

Another gust blew.

She was there.

"Has it already been nine years? It's been so long since you left."

Silence.

"I miss you so much."

The wind howled.

"I love you too." I softly responded as I felt the warm tears slide down my cheeks.

**~ End of Gill's P.O.V. ~**

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><p><strong><span>Didn't expect me to be so nice to you guys for that ending, huh? haha I had to give you a small preview for the next chapter. It's gonna be sad from this point on for a few chapters...but hey, it's very important. I hope you all enjoyed this little humorous chapter. It was a lot of fun writing; especially that whole thing with Maya. haha I loved that part. <span>  
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**Any who, please review or message me, as I've said at the top, they are ALWAYS appreciated! lol Thanks everyone! I promise to get the next chapter out before we go on vacation. Byes!  
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	15. The Past of a Pompous

**Hey everyone! I'm sorry about making you all wait...I got so busy with packing and such for Disney that I had no time to work on this chapter. Also, when we got home I tried to work on this...but I will tell you that this chapter is one of the hardest chapters I've had to write...especially when I had to re-edit everything to make it sound okay...in my opinion...I'm not such a big fan of this chapter...so I apologize if you can't make any sense of this one...I'm sorry ahead of time (and I'm not trying to say its all bad; that's just in my opinion). But I made sure that it was a long one to apologize for keeping you guys waiting so long for this chapter!   
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**I know I've kept you all waiting for a little over a month...with the cliffhanger all those weeks ago...yeah you all know, the BIG cliffhanger of Gill revealing why he hates Luke and the last chapter where Gill was talking to his mom. Pretty shocking, huh? Well anyways, this chapter will be a flashback through Gill's eyes. I hope that you all like it! Please review and message me! I really appreciate them! Enjoy!  
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****NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.****

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><p>"Gill! Gill! Where are you?" I yelled.<p>

It's been about an hour now since Gill ran away from me at the lighthouse. So here I am, searching the entire island for him and trying to figure out what he meant by 'he killed my mother'.

It can't be possible that Luke physically caused Gill's mom to have a heart attack. I don't think that's possible at all.

I ran up the hill to Maple Lake, checking around all of the resident's houses and all the trees and bushes. He wasn't there either.

How hard is it to find a blonde haired guy wearing a sweater vest? He sticks out like a fruit loop in a cheerio box.

Just as I was about to leave, I spotted a big church on the edge of the hill leading into town. 'I haven't checked there yet; maybe he'd hiding in there. It seems to be a good place to hide out in if you were having a crying fit.'

The church was a big gray building that stood on a lonely cliff. I had never visited this place before since nobody took me there. I guess it was a good time to take a look at it.

I walked up to the big door and reached for the door handle.

But before I could open the door, I stopped myself, feeling the strange aura of deja vu surround me.

'Why does it feel like I've been here before?' I asked myself as I looked around me. 'I've never been here before, but why do I feel like I have? This is too weird.'

I quickly shook off the feeling and opened the door.

It was a big room with dozens of pews leading to the front of the room where a stained glass picture of a woman stood on the wall.

The woman was tall with long green hair and wore a beautiful blue dress.

"Wow." I whispered in awe. 'Who is that woman?'

The thought came to me as I realized that the stained glass picture was none other than the Harvest Goddess.

"Wow, Gill wasn't kidding when he said that there was a goddess. She is definitely a goddess." I said out loud.

I looked around the room for any sign of the boy in the sweater vest, but no such luck.

Slowly closing the door behind me, I sighed. 'I'm never going to find him at this rate. Where could he be?'

Then out of the corner of my eye something came into view.

I glanced over to the right to see a very old cemetery next to the church.

'I haven't seen that before.' I thought as I started walking over to it.

The gate that surrounded it was old and rusty with vines wrapped around it. The grass was very tall and there were tons of dead weeds and plants. It looked like nothing really grew here.

It's a little depressing, but that's the way most cemeteries are like.

There were little tombstones scattered through the area. Some were big, some were small, and some were oddly shaped. Each had a name with a birth date and a death date.

It was quiet here; a lot quieter than the beach below the lighthouse.

'Wow, maybe I should've brought Gill here instead.'

"I know, but what can I do?" a voice spoke softly.

My head shot up, looking around to see where it came from. 'Who was that?'

There was a silence.

"I don't want to apologize; she's already angry with me. She wouldn't listen."

'Where is that voice coming from? I hope I'm not just hearing voices; especially in a cemetery.' I said to myself, shaking off the shiver that went down my spine at the thought.

I began walking towards the end of the gate and spotted a figure crouched in front of a tombstone. Even though the figure's back was facing me, I could still see the color of their hair; also the fact that the figure was wearing a sweater vest. It was Gill.

I sighed a breath of relief. 'At least I found him.'

"I know what I said was wrong...but I can't take it back now. She hates my guts right now."

I looked around the cemetery to find the person he was talking to, but there wasn't anyone there but him.

'What is he doing? And who is he talking to?'

"She won't forgive me. I wouldn't even forgive that person if they said the exact same thing to me." He sighed. "I screwed up...and now I think I've lost the only person who ever saw past me."

'Huh? What is he talking about?'

"You know as well as I do that nobody has gotten through me ever since that day; not even Father. I pushed away everyone who was close to me. I don't know what to do anymore."

As I took a step towards him a twig snapped under my foot.

Gill jerked his head around and gasped. He fell on his butt and scooted back into the tombstone.

I stared at him in shock.

His face had wet streaks going down his cheeks and his eyes were watery and bloodshot.

'I've never seen him cry before. This couldn't be the real Gill, could it?'

"What are you doing here? Go away!" he shouted.

'Yep, it's the real Gill.'

"What am **_I_** doing here? What are **_you_** doing here?" I repeated.

Gill pointed at me. "I asked you first."

"Well I asked you second."

His face contorted. "That doesn't make any sense."

I pointed at him. "You don't make any sense!"

Gill was silent as I continued.

"You act like a nice guy yesterday with the singing and jokes and today you act like a complete jerk. You start talking about Luke like he's some kind of criminal and you then say that he killed your mom before you ran away from me. Now you're at a cemetery, crying your eyes out and talking to someone who isn't even here. **_What is with you?_**" I panted from the lack of breath from yelling at him.

Gill looked at the ground and then he whipped his head furiously back at me. "You want to know why I came here?" he asked, slightly angered.

I stood there silently, waiting for an answer.

He sighed and moved to the side so the tombstone was perfectly visible.

I walked over to it and crouched down.

_Amelia Hamilton_

_Born-Spring 9th 1973_

_Died-Summer 8th 2001_

I looked over at Gill. "This is your mom, isn't it?"

He nodded slowly as he looked out towards the edge of the cliff. "I was going to come here later after we were done 'hanging out'. But since our meeting was cut short...I had to come here."

I looked at the death date again and was stunned. "The death date...that's today." I glanced over at him again. "Your mom died nine years ago from today."

He nodded again.

"So that's why you're so upset." I sat down on the ground next to him. "Gill, I'm really sorry."

He kept his gaze on the cliff. "Why are you sorry? I'm the one who yelled at you."

I shrugged my shoulders. "But I'm the one who slapped you and I yelled at you, not knowing what you've been going through today. I feel awful now."

He stayed silent as he turned his head towards me. "Don't be. It's all my fault." Then he sighed. "I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier."

I was silent for a few minutes, staring at Gill's sad face.

"I still haven't gotten over the fact that she's gone." he finally spoke. "Nine years since that day." He pulled his knees to his chest and rested his arms and chin on them. "There was never a day where I forgot about her. Even when she was alive I hardly ever left her side. She was the only woman I ever cared about."

I put my arms behind me and leaned back on my elbows. "Wow, you make it sound like she was the most amazing person to be with."

He nodded. "She was."

I leaned my head down. "Sounds like my dad."

He glanced at me. "You and your father close?"

I shrugged. "Sorta."

He looked back at his mother's grave.

**~ Gill's P.O.V. ~ **

Just staring at my mother's grave brought back so many memories. Memories of her smiling face, her angelic voice, and her down to earth personality.

"Gill?" Ayame asked.

I turned my head towards her again.

"What happened the day your mother died?" she asked.

I stared at her for a few minutes. 'Should I tell her? I've never talked about that day...to anyone.'

I sighed as I made my decision.

Then I turned my gaze out toward the ocean. "That day...destroyed my life." I paused. "I still remember it like it was yesterday."

**~ Flashback-9 Years Ago ~**

"Gilly Boy! Time to wake up!" my father yelled up the stairs, waking me up from my sleep.

I rolled out of bed and looked out the window.

The sun was just starting to shine over the horizon and the birds were singing.

"Today is the day!" I yelled.

I smiled and ran over to my dresser. I pulled out a pair of dark blue pants and a green sweater vest that my mother picked out for me at the Tailor shop.

Then I ran downstairs as fast as I could and within seconds I was in the kitchen at the table, waiting for my breakfast.

My father set a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of me.

I looked up at him in confusion. "Where's Mommy? She always makes me breakfast."

My father smiled. "She's sitting in her rocking chair in the other room."

I tried to get up from my seat but my father stopped me. "Whoa there Gilly Boy. You've got to eat your breakfast first."

I sat back down in my seat and began eating very quickly.

My father shook his head as he sat down, picking the up the newspaper to read. "You're going to get sick one of theses days at the rate that you eat."

I stuffed some eggs into my mouth. "I don't care." I muffled happily. "I'm too excited!"

My father laughed at me. "You are such the little trooper today."

As soon as I was done eating I jumped out of my chair and ran into the living room.

My mother was rocking in her rocking chair while she was knitting a blanket.

She was always so pretty. Her beautiful deep blue eyes and rosy cheeks that matched her red lips. And her beautiful long sandy blonde hair that was the same color as mine.

She looked up from her knitting. "Morning sweetie." she greeted happily.

I ran over to her and put my arms out, waiting for a hug. "Good morning Mommy!"

She giggled a little as she leaned down and hugged me. Then she lightly kissed the top of my head. "How's my little future mayor doing this morning?"

I gave her a big toothy grin. "I'm good Mommy."

She smiled again. "That's good." Then she sighed. "Oh, you look so handsome in that vest. You remind me of your father."

"I look like Daddy?"

She nodded and then sighed again. "I still can't wait to see you being in your father's shoes one day; being the mayor of Waffle Island."

I ran over to my father's chair and put his silky black slippers on and ran back to my mother. "Look Mommy! I'm in Daddy's shoes. Now I'm the mayor." I said excitedly.

She laughed out loud. "Yes you are, my little mayor. And what's your first order of business?"

I rubbed my chin. "Hmmmm." Then I gasped. "Free ice cream for everyone!"

She laughed at me. "Yes, then let it be known that on this day, everyone on Waffle Island shall receive free ice cream!"

I threw my hands up. "Yay!"

She rubbed my head. "My little future mayor. You were definitely born to become the mayor, just like your father."

I rested my arms on her lap and looked up at her. "You really think so?"

"Of course." She smiled down at me and placed a hand on her stomach.

Lately I've noticed that her stomach has been getting bigger and bigger for awhile.

"Mommy? Why is your tummy getting big?" I asked curiously.

She looked at her stomach and then back at me. "Well, I was going to wait awhile to tell you." She paused. "I'm going to have a baby."

I looked at her in shock. "A baby?"

She nodded.

In that split second I jumped into her arms, hugging her tightly. "Yay! I'm gonna have a baby brother or sister!" I squealed in delight.

"You're going to have a brother." she responded.

I looked up at her and smiled. "I'm gonna have a baby brother!" I cheered. "When?"

"In a few months."

I smiled again, even bigger than before.

"Boy, aren't you the smiler today?" my mother said.

"I'll always smile for you, Mommy." I replied.

My father walked into the room. "Did you tell him?" he asked my mother.

She nodded.

I looked up at my father with a smile. "I'm going to have a baby brother!" I shouted.

He laughed. "Well it looks like this family is going to get bigger and bigger for this house." My father walked over to us. "Why don't you go find your friends and tell the good news? Anyways, I need to talk to your mother for a second."

I nodded my head and hopped off my mother's lap. "Okay Daddy."

"Be careful out there." she called as I ran out of the room.

I slipped off my father's slippers. "I will. I love you!" I called back.

"Love you too, Gilly Boy!" my father called after me.

I ran out the back door in the kitchen that led out to the garden in the back yard.

But as I ran into the garden, I realized that something didn't feel right. I looked down at my sock feet and saw that they were covered in mud.

"Oh no! I forgot my shoes!"

So back into the house I ran, to find my shoes lying by the kitchen table.

As I sat down and began putting them on, I could hear faint voices coming from the living room.

"You know, you shouldn't have told him. Now he's too excited to see what's **_really_** happening to you." I heard my father say.

"Don't worry honey, I'm fine. The baby and I are going to be okay." my mother replied.

"But what if that baby causes you to get weaker? You remember what happened to your condition when you gave birth the last time. I don't want that to happen to you again."

"I'll be fine. I don't want to worry Gill about it."

My father sighed. "I just hope that you're right. That illness of yours has been getting worse lately. You seem to be getting more sick every day."

I sat there in confusion. My mother was sick? But she hasn't been coughing or sneezing at all.

My mother sighed. "Sweetheart, I'm fine."

"You keep saying that you're fine, but Honey...you're not."

"I know." I heard the rocking chair squeak as my mother stood up. "But we need to stay positive about this. We can't keep thinking about that; we don't want to scare Gill. We also need to think about our baby's future too."

I heard my father sigh. "You're right. But Honey..."

"Shhhh...it will be alright. I care more about this baby making it before me. His life is more important than mine. If I don't make it...I don't make it. But at least you'll have Gill and our new son. That's the most important thing."

'What were they talking about? I don't understand what they mean. My mother is sick and my father seems really scared about it...but I don't get what she means when she says that 'if she makes it or not'. I'm so confused.' I thought to myself.

Fed up with my thoughts, I just shrugged and got to my feet.

I ran back outside and climbed through the hole in the gate that let me into the small town of Waffle Island.

My destination was always the same everyday, the Ganache Mine District.

I ran all the way to the Carpentry and knocked on the door until the door opened, revealing a woman with long dark blue hair.

She gazed down at me with her golden colored eyes. "Morning Gill." she greeted as she gave me a big smile.

"Good morning Mrs. Luke's mom."

She laughed as she moved aside. "Come on in."

I walked inside as she shut the door behind me. "Hey Luke! Someone's here to see you!" she called out.

Suddenly a kid emerged from the backroom. He gasped and ran at me. "Gilligan!" he yelled as she tackled me to the floor.

My head hit pretty hard on the floor, but I wasn't really hurt. I gazed up at him. His big toothy grin and big gold eyes shined just like his. "Hey Luke." I greeted.

"Hey Gilligan."

"Um...Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"You're crushing me." I grunted.

"Oh, sorry." he apologized as he got off me.

I got to my feet and smiled. "Happy Birthday!"

He smiled and patted me on the back. "Thanks Buddy!"

"Are we going to play outside?" I asked.

Luke nodded his head excitedly. "You bet!"

Luke's mother looked down at us. "You boys be careful out there." she said.

"We will." we replied.

"And **_no_** pranking." she added.

We both groaned.

"Awww, but mom." Luke whined.

Luke's mother sighed and shook her head. "If you're gonna pull a prank on someone, then...pull it on your father."

Luke pumped his fist. "Yes!"

"But don't go too far, or else." she warned.

"Or else what?" Luke asked.

She pondered for a moment. "I don't know, but I'll think of something. **_Something horrible_**." she said, smirking evilly.

"Ooo I'm shaking in my boots." he taunted and laughed.

She shook her head again. "Go on, get on out of here, you little rascals."

We both waved at her and headed outside.

Luke broke into a skip as we walked down the path towards town. "So what are we doing today, Gilligan?"

'Gilligan' was Luke's nickname for me. I actually liked my nickname. The reason he calls me that is because one day we watched an entire day of 'Gilligan's Island' and then the next day he accidentally called me Gilligan. I've been letting him call me that for years.

"I don't know. So what are you gonna do for your birthday?" I asked him.

He smiled. "It's gonna be huge. We're gonna have a big scavenger hunt. You guys are gonna hide my gifts all over the island and we're gonna play an extreme game of hide and seek."

I smiled back at him. "Sweet!"

Suddenly a big rock crashed in front of us, causing us to scream and jump backwards.

"Where did that come from?" Luke yelled.

A snicker erupted above us.

I looked up to see Owen smirking from on top of a rock pile. "You should've seen your faces." he laughed.

I growled at him. "That wasn't funny. You could've killed us!"

He laughed and jumped down from the rocks. "Sorry guys. I was just practicing on my mining." he explained as he rubbed the back of my neck, grinning sheepishly.

"**_You and your hobbies_**. Can't you do something that doesn't involve killing people or attempting to injure someone? Something like painting or fishing?" Luke suggested.

Owen wrinkled his nose. "Ha! No way. There's no way I'm doing anything like that. As long as I've got a hammer in my hand, I'm good." he replied.

I groaned.

Owen _**never** _left his giant hammer alone. He literally took it everywhere. I bet he even slept with it when he went to bed at night.

Luke pumped his fist. "I can't wait until I get my own ax. My old man won't let me go near his ax."

"Maybe it's because you're only eight years old." a voice replied.

We all turned out attention to a small girl with blonde pigtails and her hands on her hips, standing behind us.

"Hey Kathy!" Owen greeted as he waved at her.

She walked over to us, keeping her hands on her hips. "I don't think eight year olds should be playing with weapons."

Luke snorted. "Ha! When I'm nine, I'll be able to have an ax."

"Axes are boring, squirt guns are better." I responded.

They all looked at me with surprised expressions.

"How is a squirt gun a weapon?" Owen asked.

"Because you can fire water at people, duh." I replied.

The all rolled their eyes.

Suddenly a horn blew in the distance.

Luke's head perked up. "Hey, Pascal's back. He's here!" he shouted as he ran toward town.

"Hey, wait for me!" I shouted as I started to run after him.

"Wait for us too!" Kathy and Owen shouted.

We ran through the town like a couple of rockets flying through space.

When we arrived at the dock, Luke's father was standing at the edge.

Luke ran up to him and began jumping up and down. "Is he here yet? Is he here yet? Please! Please! Please let him be here already!" he exclaimed.

His father put a hand on Luke's shoulder. "Slow down there Luke. He'll be here any minute now." he assured him. Then he looked over at us. "You kids here to meet the new addition to our family?"

We all nodded.

Luke's family was adopting a little boy from the city, who was Luke's cousin from his mother's side of the family. His family had died in a car accident a couple of weeks ago and now he was all alone. So now Luke was going to get a new brother, well technically he was still a cousin, but oh well.

Pascal's little ferry boat puttered up to the loading dock. "Ahoy!" Captain Pascal called from the boat.

"Ahoy!" we all called back.

The boat docked and Pascal got off. "Ahoy everyone." Then he looked out at the ocean. "That ocean is getting harder and harder to cross everyday. It's getting really rough to sail." he said to Dale.

"I've noticed. The land isn't getting any better either. The land isn't fertile enough to grow new crops." Dale replied sadly.

Captain Pascal straightened his coat. "Anyways, enough with the sad news and onto the good news. I've got a little passenger here who's come to stay." he said as he gestured behind him, revealing a little boy with a suitcase in his hand.

He was about three feet tall with sandy blonde hair and green eyes. He looked to be younger than all of us.

The boy shyly smiled. "Hi everybody."

Luke ran up to the little boy and hugged him with all of his might. "Cousin Bo! You made it!"

Bo looked like the life was going to be squeezed out of him. "Umm...Luke?" he choked.

"Yeah Buddy?"

"Can't...breath."

Luke suddenly let go. "Sorry Bo. Guess I don't know my own strength."

Bo laughed. "That's okay."

Luke gestured at us. "These are my friends. That's Owen, Kathy, and the blonde dude is my best friend in the whole world, Gill." He looked at all of us. "Guys, this is my cousin Bo."

Bo gave us a small wave. "Hi."

We all smiled and greeted him back.

"So how old are you Bo?" I asked.

"I'm seven." he replied happily.

Luke pointed at him. "That's my new brother!"

Dale walked over to Bo, putting a hand on the little boy's shoulder. "It's good to have you here Bo. Welcome home."

Bo smiled up at his uncle. "Thanks Uncle Dale."

Then Dale looked at us. "Everyone ready to have a party?"

We all nodded excitedly.

"Par-tay!" Owen yelled as he danced 'the twist'.

"I can see that someone is excited." Dale responded with a smile.

Luke jumped into the air. "You bet dad! We're ready to party like there's no tomorrow."

"Well don't party too hard kids." His father picked up Bo's bags. "Well I'm gonna go back to the Carpentry and show Bo where he's living. So you kids have fun with your party."

Luke nodded to his father. "Thanks dad. We definitely will."

Bo waved at us. "See ya later. It was nice to meet all of you."

We all said our good-byes as they both walked back to the Ganache Mine District.

Luke turned to all of us. "All right everyone; it's time to get this party started."

I smiled at him.

"So what are we doing Luke?" Kathy asked.

Luke looked at each one of us. "We are having a gift scavenger hunt."

Owen scrunched his eyebrows together. "What's that?"

Luke gave him a big toothy grin. "You guys are gonna hide all of my presents around the island and then I'm gonna go find them."

Owen gave Luke two thumbs up. "Awesome dude."

Kathy twirled one of her pigtails. "So we can hide these anywhere?"

Luke nodded. "Yeah, and hide them somewhere really good. I love to go exploring!"

Kathy grabbed Owen's hand. "Come on Owen, let's go hide our presents!" she squealed.

Owen smiled back at her. "Yeah, let's go!" he cheered as they took off running into town.

Luke looked over at me and smiled.

Just seeing his face made me remember the 'big news' I heard this morning. "I almost forgot, I got big news." I announced.

He looked at me with widened eyes. "What is it?"

"My mommy is having a baby!" I screamed.

Luke's mouth dropped. "No way!"

I nodded. "A baby brother."

Suddenly Luke picked me up and hugged me tightly. "A brother! We both have brothers now!"

My breath was slightly shortening. "Y-yeah. But I don't have one yet." I choked.

"But you will. And we'll have new brothers!" he shouted.

"L-Luke. Put me down. I can't breath."

Luke flinched and dropped me. "Sorry; I just keep on nearly choking people when I hug them." he apologized.

"It's fine Luke." I replied.

"So where's your gift at?"

I felt around my pockets for it, unfortunately it wasn't there. "Oh no, I think I left your present at home. Do you want to come over to my house so I can get it?"

Luke nodded excitedly as he grabbed my hand. "Let's go!" he shouted as we ran to my big house.

When we reached my house we burst through the front door and raced up the stairs to my room.

I got down on my hands and knees and reached under the bed, feeling around for his gift. When I felt the small box touch my hand, I pulled it out.

It was a small blue box with a yellow ribbon wrapped around it.

Luke's eyes widened as I held it up while getting to my feet. "Weeeee! Present!" he screamed as he lunged at it.

I quickly hid it behind my back. "Ah-ah, this is for the scavenger hunt. No peeking until you find it later."

Luke pouted. "You're no fun."

We left my room and stopped at the top of the stairs.

I turned to Luke. "Race ya?" I asked, gesturing to the wooden railing.

Luke nodded furiously. "Yeah!"

I climbed onto the railing and Luke followed me. "Ready?" I asked.

"Ready." he replied.

"Geronimo!" we both yelled as we slid down the railing together.

At the very end of the rail we fell off onto the hard wooden floor.

Luke sat up. "Whoo! That was better than the last time."

I sat up and smiled at him. "Definitely."

Then a sweet smell entered the room and caught both of our attention.

Luke and I looked at each other. "Cookies!" we shouted as we bolted for the kitchen.

My mother was getting a tray of cookies out of the oven. She smiled at us as she shut the door. "Hello boys. Having a good day?"

We both nodded.

"You boys look like you want some of my famous chocolate chip cookies. Well I've got plenty so help yourselves." she said as she placed the tray on the table. "But be careful, they're hot."

We raced to the table and tried to grab as many cookies as we could.

My mother removed her oven mitts. "Oh, happy birthday Luke."

Luke smiled at her with a crumb covered face, after he had shoved a bunch of cookies into his mouth.

As my mother walked towards us she put her hand on her head and wobbled a bit. She grasped the edge of the counter tightly to steady herself.

"Mommy? Are you okay?" I asked.

She glanced over at me as she removed her hand from her head. "Yes, I'm fine. I've just got a headache right now." she explained as she released her grip from the counter.

"Maybe you should go see that nurse lady." Luke suggested.

My mother shook her head. "No, I don't need to see Irene. I'm fine. Maybe all I need is a nap."

I looked at her worriedly, remembering what my parents were talking about earlier. 'Is Mommy getting sick like Daddy said?'

Then Luke looked at me. "Come on we gotta go. My party is gonna start without us." he said frantically as he yanked me towards the door. "See ya Mrs. Gill's mom!" Luke called over his shoulder.

I looked back at her. "Bye Mommy! I love you!"

She smiled. "Love you too, my little future mayor!"

Luke yanked me outside and all the way through town. My shoes scuffed on the pavement as Luke ran faster. "Hey, slow down Luke! I can't go any faster!" I yelled.

Luke didn't slow down one bit. "Sorry Gilligan! We can't be late for my party. Owen and Kathy are probably gonna start the scavenger hunt without us." he apologized.

I let out a quick huff and continued trying to keep up with Luke.

When we finally reached the Carpentry we found Kathy and Owen standing out in the front, both with their hands behind their backs looking innocently at us.

Luke came to abrupt halt and looked frantically at Owen and Kathy, not really caring that I fell down while I tried to catch my breath. "Did...*huff* we miss...the...*huff* scavenger hunt?" he panted from exhaustion.

Kathy smiled at him. "Sorry Luke, we've already hid our presents."

"Yeah, so now it looks like Gill still needs to hide his." Owen added.

Luke glanced down at me and grabbed the back of my shirt collar and pulled me to my feet. "Hey Gilligan, you've got to get going on hiding my gift." he urged.

I let out a huff. "Couldn't I just sit down? I'm a little tired from running."

Luke shook his head furiously. "No way Gilligan. We're wasting time right now. My party is gonna end soon. Come on." he said as he pushed me down the path.

"But-"

"Now go on and hide it and don't come back until you do."

Luke gave me a quick shove and then he watched me walk down the path to Maple Lake.

'What has gotten into him today? I've never seen him this so excited about something. What is so exciting about a ninth birthday party? I would never be this obsessed with a having a party. Oh well, it's his special day.' I thought to myself.

I walked past Maple Lake and then down the path to Carmel Falls.

The Carmel Falls area had been empty for years. Not one house was in the area. Just a big waterfall that connected to a river that led to the ocean.

I crossed the bridge to the other side of the river and began looking for a rock to hide Luke's gift. Since there were tons of rocks around, I guess this would be a great spot to hide his gift.

"Hey!" a voice shouted.

I stopped and looked around to find that nobody was around.

"Hello? Is someone there?" I called out.

No answer.

'Must be hearing things.' I shrugged and went back to looking.

As I got closer to the waterfall, bigger rocks started appearing. "Bingo!" I shouted when I found the right spot.

I quickly hid Luke's present behind a cluster of rocks and stood upright.

I rested my hands on my hips while looking up at the giant tree that stood above the waterfall.

The big tree that stood there was the legendary Mother Tree.

My mother has been telling me the story of how Waffle Island became what is is today for years. She had told me that the tree had mysteriously grown out in the middle of the ocean and as it grew it began rooting out to find land. Eventually the tree gathered enough land to create a small island.

Then my great grandfather had discovered it one day when he was out on his small boat. Then a year later he founded Waffle Island and built the town on the island.

Also my mother told me that the strange tree had been created by the Harvest Goddess. She would bless our crops that grew in every season and she was to help bring peace and tranquility to the island.

There also had been tales of her little helpers called the Harvest Sprites. The Harvest Sprites were little fairies that took care of the land for the Harvest Goddess. They each represented a different part of the environment elements to help the island prosper.

It was my favorite story ever since I was a baby.

"Hey!" a high voice shouted, bringing me out of my thoughts.

I swung around. "Who's there?" I asked out loud.

"Me!" the voice responded.

"Where are you?" I asked.

"Over here!" the voice screamed from behind a rock.

"No over here!" another voice shouted from within a tree.

"I'm down here!" a voice said a voice near the river.

"No, I'm over here!" yet another voice shouted from behind a rock.

My head was spinning. There were so many voices around me, so where was this mysterious person?

"Excuse me, I'm down here." a voice spoke calmly.

I slowly looked down to find a tiny little person standing at me feet.

He was probably on two inches tall, probably only a little taller than my thumb. He wore a small red suit and a matching red hat with a little white ball on top. He tucked a strand of green hair behind his pointy ear. "Sorry about all the voices, my brothers love to play hide and seek with the humans." he apologized.

I was in too much shock to answer. There, standing in front of me, was an actual Harvest Sprite.

"Oh sorry, how rude, I've never introduced myself. I'm Alan, the fire sprite."

I immediately lost my breath. I definitely couldn't be dreaming. "You're a Harvest Sprite?"

He smiled. "I'm glad to hear that you've heard of us. We didn't think anyone would know who we were."

My eyebrows lifted. "We?"

"Oh yeah, there's a few more of us running around the island." Then Alan turned around to face the forest. "Okay guys, enough hiding. Let's meet our new friend."

Within seconds four more sprites appeared in front of me.

"Hey, I'm Ben, the water sprite." greeted the blue sprite.

"Hello, I'm Collin, the earth sprite. Nice to meet ya." said the yellow sprite.

The little green sprite let out a yawn. "Hi...I'm Daren, the wind sprite. *yawn* I'm so sleepy."

Then the little purple sprite burst into tears. "Whaaa! I'm Edge, the sprite of heart. *hic* I...I...whaaaaaaa!" he sobbed.

I stared at them in disbelief. 'This had to be a dream...I never thought that I would ever see a Harvest Sprite.'

"Sorry about Edge. He's just so emotional about the first human to see us in about twenty years." Alan apologized.

My eyes widened. "Twenty years? But how can I see you?" I asked.

The little sprite shrugged. "I'm not really sure; maybe only kids can see us."

Collin looked up and smiled. "Hey, I've seen you before. You're the mayor's son, aren't you?"

I nodded.

Ben gasped as he pointed at me. "Yeah, me too. You're Gill, right?"

I nodded again.

"Ha! I was right!" Ben shouted.

"Yeah, _this_ time." Collin pointed out sarcastically.

Ben glared at him.

Daren yawned. "Actually this kid looks like...*yawn* that little girl we saw all those years ago." He rubbed his sleepy eyes. "You know the last human to ever see us."

Collin scratched behind his pointy ears. "Yeah, he does. Wonder if they're related."

Alan put his tiny hand up. "We can worry about that later; right now we have a human that can see us. We can finally tell someone about the trouble the island is in."

I looked down at Alan. "What's wrong?"

Alan looked up. "Do you know of the Mother Tree?"

I nodded once again.

"The tree is dying."

My heart dropped. "What?"

Alan nodded. "The tree is dying because the land hasn't been in good condition lately. The crops have been dying, the ocean has been rough for boats to cross, and the land has lost its tranquility." he explained.

Suddenly Edge began to cry again. "And to make it worse...*sniff*...the Harvest Goddess is disappearing because nobody believes in her anymore. Whaaaaaaaa!" he cried.

"Please, you have to help us." Collin begged.

I looked at them in confusion. "What? But I'm just a little kid. What can I do?"

"You're the mayor's son, you can tell all of those islanders to help us." Ben answered.

I was still very confused. "But I don't know if they'll listen to me. I'm not the mayor, I'm just his son. I can't do it."

"You have to. The island is in danger." Collin piped up.

I was running out of things to say. I really didn't really know what to do.

Suddenly a voice echoed through the district. "Gill! Gill! Are you here?"

"Who was that?" Ben asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know."

"Well they know your name, so they must be a friend of yours. You can tell your friend about us." Alan told me.

"Yeah, maybe your friend would help if you told him. He may believe in the Harvest Goddess." said Ben.

"Gilligan! Where are you?" the voiced called out.

That voice sounded like Luke.

"It's Luke!" I shouted. "He's my best friend ever; he'll definitely listen to me." I told the sprites.

Then I cupped my hands around my mouth. "I'm over here Luke!" I shouted.

Within seconds, Luke appeared and he ran over to me. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for ya. You've been gone for awhile now. What have you been doing?"

I felt like something was going to burst inside of me. This was the most excited feeling I had ever had in my life. "I saw them!" I screamed.

Luke raised an eyebrow. "Saw what?"

"Th-th...the Harvest Sprites!" I stuttered, trying to find the right words to say.

His eyes widened. "Harvest Sprites? Those little elves from that story?"

I nodded furiously. "Yeah, I've been talking to them."

Then Luke began looking around in confusion. "So where are they? I don't see them."

"Oh they're right over here." I said as I pointed down to my left, never leaving my gaze from Luke.

He looked down. "I don't see them."

"Of course they are. They're right...huh?" I had looked down where the five harvest sprites had been last, but they were gone.

"B-but they were just here." I cried as I began to panic.

Luke put a hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure you're not going crazy Gilligan? Maybe you've been in the sun too long."

I looked back at him. "No, they were just here a second ago." Then I turned my attention to the Mother Tree. "They said that the Mother Tree was dying. And they wanted my help." I explained sadly.

Luke patted my shoulder. "That's nice Gilligan. Now where's my present at?" he asked, without a care in his voice.

I whipped my head around to him. "Huh?"

He smirked. "Since you've been back here for awhile it's gotta be around here somewhere." he said as he left my side and began searching behind the rocks.

I looked at him in confusion. "But Luke, didn't you hear me? The Mother Tree is dying. Isn't that more important than-"

"Found it!" Luke interrupted while holding up my gift. Then he grabbed one of the pieces of yellow ribbon and pulled it. The ribbon fell to the ground as he opened it. "Owen got me a mini squirt gun and Kathy got me a toy car. They're pretty cool. I wonder what you got me."

He reached inside of the blue box and pulled out my gift, gasping. "Wow!"

It was a thin piece of rope with a long shark tooth tied in the middle.

"Whoa! It's a necklace!" he said excitedly.

Despite everything that just happened in the last few minutes, I had to give him a smile. "Yeah, I made it myself."

He looked up at me with wide eyes. "You made this? For me?"

I nodded. "I found that tooth on the beach last week and I thought of you."

Luke smiled and hugged me tightly. "Thanks Gilligan. You're the bestest friend ever!"

I hugged him back. "You're welcome Luke. You're my best friend too."

He let me go and slipped the necklace around his neck. "Now come on, we've got a party to get to."

"But what about the Harvest Sprites and the Mother Tree."

Luke shook his head. "Well maybe you were just seeing things. I see weird stuff all the time."

I looked at him confusingly. "But I wasn't seeing things. They **_were_** here Luke."

He patted my shoulder. "Well, we can come back here later and try to see if they're here."

"But-"

"Now come on, let's get back to my party. We've got the cake and games to play still."

I guess I could put the Harvest Sprite thing aside for now; it didn't sound like Luke was going to listen to me anyways.

So I nodded and began to follow Luke back towards the Maple Lake District.

When we reached Maple Lake, Luke stopped and faced me. "Hey, I'm gonna run up to the Carpentry to show my dad my present, so you can take your time with walking there; you look really tired from all that running today." he explained.

I nodded in agreement. "Okay, thanks."

Luke smiled. "But don't take too long. I don't want you to miss out on my birthday cake."

I nodded again. "You got it."

Luke gave me another smile and then raced up the hill to the Carpentry.

I shook my head.

'I should just leave it alone for now. Luke is just excited about his birthday today; it's not like it's the _**only**_ thing that matters or anything like that. Maybe I was just imagining that the Harvest Sprites were talking to me. There probably wasn't anything wrong with the Mother Tree. I just might just as well relax and have fun today.' I thought to myself as I started walking up the hill to the Ganache Mine District.

"Gill!" a voiced screamed, breaking me away from my thoughts.

I turned around to see a little boy with short black hair and glasses running up the hill towards me. It was Dr. Irene's grandson, Jin.

I waved at him. "Hi Jin!"

He rushed over to me with worry written all over his face. "Gill, you have to come quick!"

I looked at him alarmingly. "What's wrong?"

He panted as he reached me. "It's your mother. She had an accident."

My heart stopped. "What?"

Jin took a hold of my hand. "Come with me quickly!" he urged as he pulled me towards town.

Luke's party would have to wait, my mother was in trouble.

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><p><strong><span>Well what did you all think? Pretty crazy, huh? Well...I hate to do this...but since this chapter was SOOOOO long...I had to split it up and I thought that this would be the perfect time to do it...and especially on a cliffhanger...(You all know how I love cliffhangers!)...anyways, the end of Gill's flashback will be in the next chapter and I PROMISE that I will have it out sooner...I'm trying to get as much done as I can before I have to go back to college at the end of August...(I live at home...it's not like I'm leaving...but I'll be really busy with schoolwork and such). So I'll start working on it as soon as I can.<span>  
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><p><strong>Anyways on another RANDOM note, I want to say thanks to all my reviewers, I love getting them and reading them. In the past few weeks I've read some reviews that either left me laughing or made me smile...and I just want to give a shout out to those of you who left them. I've been wanting to do this for some time.<br>**

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><p><strong><span>DiamondRainbows: Your reviews always make me laugh! (Yes, I am a girl; to answer that 'awkward one' that you referred to) I guess, I've never thought of the whole 'love pentagon' thing like that, but I really like it. And I know I'm crazy! haha <span>**

**Thedarkestpen: I'm glad that you like my story and I'm glad to be the first game story that you've read on this site. It made me feel really good that you like it. Thank you!**

** cblythe15: I love to switch it up a bit when you look through everyone's eyes; I feel that it gives everyone a different perspective on the story. When you see it through Luke's eyes, you see the funny chaos that unfolds and the drama with him and his father. Then through Gill's eyes, you can see how he reacts to everyone who is crazy and different; and how he constantly is fighting with himself to accept new adjustments in his life. I love different point's of view!**

**Smiles: Bo being thrown into the ocean is one of my favorite parts to write. Haha**

**WhiteWhistler12: Wow...thank you soooo much! You don't know how much that meant to me! You're soooo sweet! I didn't know if my detailing was clear enough to everyone! Thanks! I could see it kind of as a movie, if you think about it. lol Trust me, there's more to come! I didn't mean to take away your sleep lol.**

**Usuihentai727: Wow...you have a lot to say about why you don't like Gill. It was very surprising, but I really enjoyed reading why you don't think Ayame should end up with him; you had lots of very good points why. I can definitely tell that you're on Team Luke! lol  
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><p><strong><span>IMPORTANT: Thanks to everyone! Also...if I didn't say anything to you or respond to your review...that doesn't mean that I forgot about you! I love all of my reviewers out there! I love getting messages and feedback from all of you out there! Your feedback is what helps me continue this story! So send me a message with any concerns, ideas, or even if you just want to talk, I'm here for ya! Thank you all soooo much! Oh and next time, maybe I'll even give you a shout out if you message or review me! Also...the next chapter is gonna be REALLY intense! The ending of Gill's flashback will shock you! TRUST ME...YOU DON'T WANNA MISS IT! Okays! Thanks everyone!<span>  
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	16. Bitter Endings and Sweet Beginnings

**Hey everyone! Well, I tried to keep my promise, to try and post the next chapter sooner than last time. I'm glad I accomplished that goal! lol Anyways, I will be starting school in about two weeks...I know...I don't want to go back. Except I do want to see all of my friends again...it's just the dreaded homework I don't want! Dun dun dunnnnn! haha sorry I couldn't resist! So it will be a bit difficult for me to get chapters out...so I apologize ahead of time. I hope that you all enjoy this chapter! I know that I left you all on another cliffhanger again...but don't worry, I will make the wait stop now! lol PLEASE REVIEW AND MESSAGE ME! I love getting responses, even if they're small or long. I love them all! Enjoy!  
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**VERY IMPORTANT TO READERS: As I mentioned a few chapters back, I will be editing the first few chapters, I need to fix a few things to shorten or to make the first chapter more interesting. (I admit that the first chapter bores me a little), so over the next few weeks or so the first chapter will be changed a little, so if you want to check it out and stuff. Also, I would love any feedback you guys have for me about it after it's edited. Thanks!  
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******NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.******

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><p><strong>~ Continued from Gill's P.O.V. ~<strong>

As we drew closer to town, I could see my house in the distance. "What happened?" I asked Jin, who was pulling me along with him.

"Your mother fell down in the kitchen and she's very sick." he responded.

My heart rose to my throat. 'No...please let her be okay.' I told myself.

The sky above our heads began to darken. A storm was on its way.

When we reached the house, Jin pulled open the door and went inside.

The whole living room was filled with different villagers from Waffle Town. Some were pacing around the room, some were sitting down on couches and chairs, and some were just looking out the window with sad expressions. I had never seen so many people in my house before.

We passed everyone quietly as we climbed the stairs to my parent's bedroom.

The room was filled with a few more villagers too.

'Why is everyone here?'

Jake and his wife, Colleen, the Sundae Inn owners, stood by the dresser with sad expressions.

Simon, the owner of the general store, was standing in a corner, comforting my father, who was sitting in a chair with a distraught look.

Shelly, the tailor, was aiding Dr. Irene as she examined my mother, who was lying on the bed.

My heart rose to my throat as I stared at my mother.

She looked awful. Her eyes were bloodshot, her long blonde hair was sticking to her sweaty and pink face, and she looked very weak.

Shelly dabbed my mother's forehead with a wet cloth. "Hang in there Amelia. You're going to be okay." she assured.

"M-Mommy?" I asked meekly.

Suddenly everyone's attention was on me.

"Gill?" my mother asked as she tilted her head up, slowly. "Hi Sweetie."

"Mommy, what's wrong?"

She tried to lift her head up, but there was no luck. "Oh, I'm just a little sick, that's all."

There was a long pause of silence.

Dr. Irene looked at all of the people in the room. "Maybe we should give these two some time to talk." she suggested to everyone.

Jake held Colleen's hand as the left the room and Simon escorted my father out of the room.

Then Dr. Irene looked down at her grandson. "Come along, Jin. Let's give Gill and his mother some time to talk alone."

Jin nodded as she led him out with Shelly.

As Shelly passed me, she patted my shoulder softly.

When they shut the door behind them, I walked over to my mother.

She lifted an arm and put her hand on my head, ruffling my hair. "Hi Sweetie. How's Luke's party going?" she asked weakly.

"Luke had a scavenger hunt. He made us hide his presents everywhere."

"That sounds like you had a lot of fun. I bet you hid yours in a very special spot on the island."

I nodded. "Yeah, I hid it by the waterfall in the Carmel Falls District." I suddenly stopped and remembered my earlier discovery; I know my mother would believe me. "Mommy, if I told you something silly, would you believe me?"

She smiled. "Of course I would."

"I saw the Harvest Sprites!" I cried out.

Her eyes widened. "You saw them?" she whispered.

I nodded furiously.

She relaxed into her pillow. "I haven't seen them since I was around your age. Alan, Ben, Collin, Daren, and Edge."

"Y-you saw them too, Mommy?"

She nodded weakly. "I was just a little girl when I saw them. I was playing by the Mother Tree when they suddenly appeared. Oh, we used to play hide and seek and have picnics by the river. They were my best friends." she explained as she looked dreamily out the window.

I then realized that she was the little girl that the sprites were talking about; she was the last human to ever see the Harvest Sprites. "What happened to them?"

She shrugged. "They just disappeared one day. It was so strange to see them disappear like that." She then turned her head towards me. "So what did they say to you?" she asked, trying to smile.

My emotions turned gloomy. "They said that the Mother Tree was dying. They said that I should help, but I don't know how."

Her smile seemed to die. "You just do your best. Tell your father about it and talk to your friends about helping the environment."

"But that sounds like the mayor's job. I'm not the mayor."

"Not yet, but you will someday. If you take charge and push through, you'll become mayor one day. You always start out small and then you grow as life goes on. You'll do great things, my little future mayor." she assured me with a tiny smile.

I smiled back. "Thanks Mommy."

Then she placed a hand on my face. "Sweetie, I want you to know that I love you with all my heart."

I nodded. "I love you too."

Her smile got smaller. "I also want you to know that I'll always be watching over you."

"Of course; you and Daddy will be standing right with me when I become mayor."

My mother's smile disappeared completely. "No sweetie, I won't be there with your father."

I looked at her confusingly. "What do you mean Mommy?"

She sighed. "The Mother Tree isn't the only thing that's dying." She paused. "I'm dying Sweetie."

My heart dropped to my stomach. "Wh-what?"

She looked at me with a very serious look. "I've been sick for a long time and I'm not getting any better."

I felt a sickness in my stomach. "But...but we need to get you some medicine." I panicked as I tried to go to find Dr. Irene.

She grabbed my hand. "No Sweetie. No medicine can cure my illness."

Tears began to well up in my eyes. "But you can't die! You can't! What about my baby brother?"

She placed her other hand on her stomach. "I'm afraid he's not going to make it either. Your brother is dying along with me."

I felt like I wanted to wake up from this nightmare. "No! I don't want you to die! You have to be there when I become mayor! I don't want you to leave me!"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry Sweetie. There's nothing I can do. But always remember that your baby brother and I will be watching over you from heaven."

I sniffled as the tears began to flow.

She put a hand on my cheek. "Gill, I want you to promise me three things."

I nodded slowly.

"First, I want you to try your best to become mayor and save the Mother Tree."

"Okay."

"Second, I want you to study hard in school to help you become smarter."

My tears were staining my shirt as I nodded again.

"And third, I want you to find a girlfriend when you're older. A girl that will keep you up when you're down and is confident about everything. She'll be funny, adventurous, and smart. And she'll be just like me so that you'll never forget me."

"I will Mommy." I responded as I placed my hand over her hand that was on my face.

She sighed. "I love you so much, my little future mayor."

I sniffled. "I-I love you too, Mommy."

She smiled and closed her eyes.

Then she took one last deep breath. "I'll always be with you Gill." she sighed out.

Slowly her hand dropped from my face.

I kept a grip on it. "Mommy?"

She didn't answer.

"Mommy?"

Nothing. She was gone.

I fell to my knees and buried my face into her arm as I cried.

My stomach felt sluggish and my heart felt like it was in my throat. My mother was dead...and I was all alone.

It felt like I was there for a long time, but the sound of the door opening behind me broke that thought.

Someone placed a hand on my shoulder. "I can't believe this is happening." It was my father's voice. "Your mother was just fine this morning. But when I came home for lunch, she just collapsed in the kitchen."

I perked my head up a little to look at her. She looked so peaceful as she lay there on the bed.

"She's been sick for years. I warned her that having a baby would just weaken her, but she wouldn't listen. She was just so happy."

I felt like I couldn't breathe anymore. The room felt so small and was getting smaller.

Suddenly, without thinking, I got up and ran from the room. I pushed past everyone that stood outside of the door and ran out of the house.

I had to get away from this.

When I was finally far away from Waffle Town I stopped at Maple Lake district and sat down in front of the lake.

The tears in my eyes couldn't be controlled anymore. I started crying again, harder than ever.

I felt scared and alone. I had lost my mother and the chance of having a baby brother. It felt like a piece of my life had been ripped out of me.

But my mother did leave me three promises to keep.

One, to do my best to become mayor and save the Mother Tree.

Second, to do well in school to be smarter.

And third, to fine a girlfriend who reminds me of my mother.

A sound of rumbling thunder roared over my head; sounds like a storm is about to hit.

"Gilligan!" a voice shouted, breaking my thoughts.

I glanced over my shoulder to see Luke running my way. He had a new shiny ax in his hand. "Hey, where did you go? You've been gone for over an hour. I already blew out my candles and we had cake."

I looked back at the lake and started crying again. Then I felt Luke's hand on my shoulder. "Hey are you okay?"

I wiped my runny nose and sniffed. "My...my Mommy...died." I sobbed as I looked back at him.

His eyes widened. "What?"

I nodded.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, I'm so sorry Gill. What about your baby brother?"

I shook my head. "He's dead too."

"I'm sorry."

There was a short silence.

"Anyways, look at what my dad got me!" he said excitedly, pointing at the ax in his hand. "I got a new ax! My dad finally got me one!"

My heart sunk. He didn't care. He didn't care that my mother and brother died just a few moments ago. All he cared about was his stupid birthday party.

There was a deep dark feeling that came from within me. It was boiling up inside.

Luke's mouth kept moving but I completely blocked out his continuing bragging about his party.

The dark feeling was completely taking over me. I had to let it out, now.

"So now I can finally chop wood just like my dad. Isn't that cool? Huh?" Luke yelled excitedly.

"Shut up."

Luke flinched. "W-what?"

"I said, shut up!" I screamed.

Luke's mouth closed shut as I got to my feet.

I huffed and puffed out hot breath. "I'm sick and tired of your stupid party! It's all you talk about! My party this and my party that! I don't wanna hear about it!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.

"But Gilligan-"

"I'm not done yet!" I interrupted.

Luke backed off.

"My mother is dead! Don't you get it?! I watched her die right in front of me! And my baby brother dies along with her! I tell you that they died and all you care about that stupid ax of yours!" I yelled as I pointed to the shiny new tool of Luke's.

He gasped and glared at me. "It isn't stupid!"

"Yes it is! And your whole birthday thing is too!"

Luke growled. "I only turn nine once! My birthday is very important!"

"So my mommy's death and my brother's death aren't?!"

"To you they are! But my birthday is more important to me!"

I pointed at him. "You're supposed to be my best friend, Luke. You're supposed to care about me, not your stupid birthday!"

A rain drop plopped on my head. "You got all of those presents that can be replaced, but my mother and brother can _**never**_ be replaced. You still have your mommy and Bo is like your brother. I don't have them anymore."

Luke pointed at me. "You're just jealous!"

"Jealous?!"

"That's right! You're just jealous that I got all of the attention! You're just jealous that everyone cares more about my birthday and they don't care about your parent's death."

More raindrops began to fall on our heads.

"There were tons of people at my house to see my mommy. Almost everyone in the town was there. Who was at your party, Luke?" I asked.

Luke was silent.

"Who Luke?" I repeated.

"Owen, Kathy, Bo, and my parents."

"Was anyone else there?"

Luke looked down and shook his head.

I calmed down a little. "Are you jealous Luke?"

He shrugged. "A little, but the one person I wanted at my party was you. I wanted my best friend at my party, but no, he had to go see his mommy die instead of hanging out with me."

The rain was falling harder now.

"But you know what? You spend all of your time with her and you always seem to be too busy with her to even hang out with your best friend. It's so stupid to see you hang out with her more than you hang out with me. So you know what?" He took a step towards me. "I'm glad she's gone."

In that split second, I lunged at Luke knocking us both to the muddy ground.

I punched him in the face will all my might.

He brought his knee up and kicked my stomach.

A clap of thunder and lightning ran above our fight as we continued to hit each other.

I brought my fist up to punch Luke again, but what I didn't realize that Luke had his ax still in his hand. It was too late to pull back as Luke's ax cut into my arm.

My scream echoed louder than the thunder and lightning. It could probably be heard all around the island.

Luke's anger faded and was replaced with fear and horror instantly.

I fell backwards off of Luke, clutching my arm close to my chest. The pain burned more than any other pain I had ever encountered in my life.

Luke sat up in shock. "Gill!"

I pulled my arm back to examine at it. There was a long cut that led down my right arm and the blow had sliced some of my shirt sleeve off with it. Rain water began in rinse off the newly fresh blood that continued to seep out of the cut. My breathing grew very shallow as I stared down at the bloody cut.

I gave Luke a murderous look. "Look at what you did!" I screamed.

Luke dropped the ax that was covered in my blood. "Gilligan, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it! It was any accident!" he pleaded as he reached out a hand towards me.

I scooted backwards. "Don't touch me!" I screeched. I winced as the cut on my arm began to sting and tears began to fall down my cheeks.

Luke kept moving towards me. His face was covered bruises and he had a black eye. He didn't seem phased by any of his bruises. "I'm really sorry. I didn't know what I was saying. Please Gilligan!"

I scrambled to my feet. "Stay away from me!"

Luke stood up. "I'm really sorry Gilligan!"

"No! I don't forgive you! Just go away and leave me alone!" I shouted as I began walking away while holding my injured arm.

"Gilligan!" Luke shouted.

I swung around to look at him. "And don't ever call me that again!"

With those final words, I ran off into the storm back to my house, leaving Luke standing in the rain to live with his guilt for the rest of his life.

**~ End of Flashback ~ **

Tears started to fall from my eyes as I finished my story. "And that was the end of it all."

Ayame stared back at me in shock. I could could see her eyes had become glossy and now small tears were beginning to roll down her cheeks.

I wiped my tears away with my sleeve.

"So, that's why you hate him? He hurt you all those years ago; both physically and mentally." she asked softly.

I nodded.

"And Luke didn't really kill your mom, he just mentally killed her. By saying those mean things."

I looked down at my shoes. "Yes."

"O-oh my gosh...I'm really sorry Gill."

I sighed. "What's done, is done. I can't change the past."

"Has Luke talked about that incident since then?"

"Well the day after that happened, Luke found me at the beach with my arm in a sling. He ran up to me and tried apologizing but I refused to listen to him, so I just walked away. I couldn't face him after that. I was angry, sad, and confused all at the same time." I explained as I picked up a small stone and rolled it around in my hand. "After that day, nothing was ever the same again."

Ayame adjusted where she was sitting. "So, did you ever find out what caused your mom to die?"

"My mother had leukemia ever since she was fifteen and it affected her body. When she was pregnant with me...I was lucky enough to live. But as for my brother...he caused my mother's body to weaken. And when it got closer to his birth date...my mother couldn't take it. Her heart failed."

Ayame's eyes started to water. "I'm really sorry Gill."

I threw the stone as hard as I could. It sailed over the gate and over the cliff that led down to the ocean. "Why are you sorry for me?"

"That you had to live through that." she answered.

I shook my head. "No, you shouldn't. I took my anger out on my best friend in the entire world and lost every friend that I ever had. I don't want that to happen ever again."

"So you choose to be shut everyone out so you never have to make that mistake again."

I whirled my head around at her. "That's...right."

"And you want to work in your office all day because you're trying to fulfill your mom's promise."

"C-correct."

'How did she figure that out? Nobody has been able to do that before.'

"But there's still something that I don't understand." she commented.

"And that is?"

"Your mom's three promises. One, you had to study hard to become smarter; which you've pretty much done already."

"Yes."

"Two, you were going to try to become the mayor to help the town and the Mother Tree; however, you aren't the mayor, but you're working extremely hard to become the mayor."

"Yes."

"And third, your mom told you that you should find a girlfriend. One that will keep you going. She'll be funny, adventurous, and smart. A girl like your mom." she explained, quoting exactly like how my mother said it.

I nodded slowly. "And the confusing part?"

"How can you get a girlfriend when you turn away from every person who tries to talk to you?"

I took a deep breath and exhaled. "I can't face them. I'm not exactly a very social person. Besides, I'm a seventeen year old who wants to become mayor immediately and spends his whole day in an office working on paperwork. I don't think some girl is going to find that attractive."

"Not to mention that you're a total stick in the mud on many occasions." she added.

I glared at her, but let it soften. "I...I guess you're right. Maybe I do need to lighten up." I responded as I looked back at my mother's grave. "You know, I've never told anyone that story before, not even my own father."

"Maybe it's because you trust me."

I looked back at Ayame. "You're not going to tell anyone about this are you?"

She shook her head. "Of course not, I'd never tell anyone about that. I understand why you keep that sort of thing a secret."

I sighed in relief. 'At least that secret will be kept.'

Then she looked up at the sky that was beginning to darken with rain clouds. "So what happens now?"

"I'm not sure."

I didn't really know what was going to happen now? I had let out one of my biggest secrets that I've kept for nine years, to a girl I had only knew for a couple of weeks. A girl who I had been extremely rude to ever since she got here. Where were we go to from now?

She shifted her position where she sat. "Well, maybe this could be a chance for us to start over."

I raised my eyebrow. "Start over?"

She met my eyes. "Yeah, like we can start this whole thing over. You know, me and you."

My face contorted. "I'm not following."

"Well when we first met, we didn't exactly get off on the right foot. And then we pretty much broke down a few barriers between us over the last few weeks. So why don't we just start over and try to be friends this time; maybe even best friends, if we're lucky?"

"Best friends? With me? I'm not really the best friend to be around. I'm a bit of a bore to others." I said as I looked out towards the ocean.

"You've told me that before; I don't care. I actually like hanging out with you."

I looked back at her, slightly shocked. 'She likes hanging out with me?'

She shrugged her shoulders. "Even though you're a complete jerk sometimes and a 'bit of a bore', as you put it. You need a friend."

I scoffed. "You don't need to pity me by being my friend."

She looked down at her shoes. "I don't pity you. I like talking to you and I enjoy your company." Then she met my eyes. "And I can see that you enjoy my company sometimes too."

My breath caught in my throat as I stared at her. 'How could she...'

"You don't really like anyone else on the island; you even said it yourself awhile back at the Flower Festival. Also you didn't seem to mind me at all when we were working in the library or when we talked in the bar last night. Of course there was a little arguing here and there, but I think that's the most you've ever talked to anyone since I got here."

My eyes widened at her. "How would you know?"

She sighed. "Well, that's how I see it. I have a strange way of doing that."

"You..." I couldn't find the right words to respond to that.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you or anything." she quickly apologized.

"No...no, it's fine. I just...never expected anyone to say anything like that to me."

"So you're not mad?"

"No." I responded quietly.

She smiled softly as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Oh, that's good."

I stared into her soft brown eyes; full of life and compassion. It felt like I was seeing my mother staring back at me again.

Just seeing them made my eyes water slightly.

"Awww...Gill, are you crying?" she asked.

I flinched and quickly wiped my eyes. "N-no! You didn't do that, I just had something in my eye."

She shifted again. "Okay, whatever you say." Then she held out her hand. "So what do you say? Shall we shake on it?"

I stared down at it.

'Should I do it? I don't really have any friends...besides Ellie...but she's just an associate with me. I don't have a serious friend outside of work. I guess it couldn't hurt to have one. What have I got to lose anyway?'

I grabbed her hand and shook it. "Sure, I'll give it a try."

She smiled and suddenly jumped into my arms to hug me. "Thank you Gilly!" she squealed.

I was stunned at first, but then I slowly wrapped my arms around her tiny waist.

I still didn't like her calling me 'Gilly'...but I could let it slip this time. I could care less about that right now...right now...I had just made a connection. A connection that I haven't made in almost ten years; a friendship.

My eyes started to water at the thought. "Thank you Ayame." I whispered.

Then from out of nowhere, a big fat raindrop landed on my face. After a few seconds, it began to lightly sprinkle rain down upon on us.

The last time it rained on this day, a sad event occurred that destroyed my life to this day.

But today instead...something good happened; something that might be the start of a new chapter in my life.

I finally made a real friend after so many years.

If I would, I could smile, but I won't. At least...not for now. I will wait for the right moment.

Right now, all I could do was to hug my new best friend.

**~ End of Gill's P.O.V. ~**

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><p><strong>Well what did you think? I hoped you liked it! I admit...I kind got teary eyed when I wrote the ending to this chapter. I can't help but feel sad and happy for Gill. He's finally made a friend and opened up to someone. I just love those moments! <strong>

**Also, for any of you who are wondering 'Why did Luke have an ax if he's only 8 years old?!'...I'm sorry for any people who are concerned about that...I just thought it might impact their friendship a lot more if something like that would happen...again I'm sorry if any of you are mad.  
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><p><strong><span>Thanks to all of my awesome reviewers! I love getting responses and opinions on my stories, it helps me out alot!<span>  
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**ElitePeach64: Thanks! I'm glad that you like A Stolen Heart! Without that, there would be no story for Ayame. I know! I love Bo being thrown into the ocean! A lot of people seem to enjoy that joke! haha  
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><p><strong>Thanks again everyone! I love writing this story for all of you guys out there! I hope that you all enjoyed this. I'll try to get the next one out before I go back to school on the 27th...cause after that...who knows when I'll have free time. Eeek! But I promise that I'll try to get out the chapters as fast as I can. Please review and message me! I love you all! See ya!<br>**


	17. Soap Opera Twists

**Hey everyone! Well I did it, I finished the next chapter before I go back to school. I feel bad now...for those of you who remember I start school on Monday. Once I go back to college it will be homework galore...meaning I'll have less time to work on this story. But on a good note...I can continue to write the next chapter at school (I write the story in a notebook then I type it on here). I don't live at school, I live at home with my family, so no moving necessary. lol So I hope that I can get the next chapter out sometime in the next couple weeks.   
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**On another note, I AM SOOOO SHOCKED TO SEE HOW YOU ALL ENJOYED THE LAST CHAPTER! I've gotten so many reviews and the viewing numbers are the highest they've EVER been! I still can't get over it! haha I loved seeing how much you all enjoyed the last chapter! I admit the last one was pretty emotional but this time, this chapter is going back to the funny stuff for a little bit. **

**IMPORTANT: Also, for those of you who didn't know, I re-edited the first chapter of this story! PLEASE READ IT IF YOU HAVEN'T (I'm not saying you HAVE to if you don't want to)...also let me know if you liked it!  
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**I hope you all enjoy this one! Please review and message me! I love hearing from all of you guys out there! Your feedback helps me write this story and I really appreciate it! Enjoy!  
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******NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.******

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><p>"I'm singing in the rain! Just singing in the rain!" I sang out as I danced in the rain.<p>

"You are so strange." Gill commented as he followed behind slowly.

"You love it when I sing." I answered as I jumped into a puddle, splashing his pants slightly.

He didn't seem to care. "Pfft, no I don't." he denied.

"Yes you do!" I sang out.

Gill sighed.

"You know you like me; I _**am**_ your best friend after all." I added.

"I'm your friend, I didn't think that we were best friends yet."

I hopped into another puddle. "Well, maybe we should just think of us as best friends already, since you don't really have any other close friends."

He huffed out a breath. "Fair enough. I guess we are considered 'best friends' now."

That gave me a great feeling. We were no longer enemies and I have another best friend added to my life. This day couldn't get any better!

Then I spun on my heel to face him. "Oh by the way, I'm sorry for slapping you earlier."

He shoved his hands into his pockets. "That's okay, I deserved it. I shouldn't have said all of things about that idi- I mean Luke." he corrected himself.

'At least he's stopping himself from insulting him for once.' I glanced up at the dark and cloudy sky. 'It's just so hard to think of Luke like that. Of what he did all those years ago. I wonder if he ever thinks about it.'

"Speaking of him, how are you going to explain about today?" Gill asked, breaking me from my thoughts.

I shrugged as I continued my little skip through the rain. "Don't know yet. But I'll think of something." I responded as we entered the Carmel Falls District.

After it started raining during our tear jerking conversation about Gill's past, we decided to call it a day and Gill said that he would walk me home. I meant what I said earlier; I enjoy his company.

He was a lot different from Luke; there would be a nice calming feeling in the air when we'd spend time together. A completely opposite feeling from Luke; with Luke there would be nothing but excitement. It felt nice for a change.

"So where is Luke?" Gill asked.

I shrugged again. "He's supposed to be working on my house right now, but maybe he went to the Sundae Inn for a drink with Owen or something." I answered as I walked backwards across the bridge.

"Hmmm...interesting. By the way, when is Dale supposed to be coming back?"

I twirled around in a circle as I continued to dance in the rain. "He should be back any day now. He's been gone for about...ah...four or five days now."

"How long was he supposed to be going away for?"

I pondered. "Eh...I think about week."

"Well then he should be due back any day now. Does he know that Luke is working on your house?"

I nodded. "Of course." Then my voice grew softer. "He just doesn't know that Luke is staying at my house."

Gill stopped dead in his tracks. "What?! He's living with you?!"

I whirled around my body around to face him. "Shhhhhhh! Don't yell."

His mouth opened and closed, spitting out syllables. "W-why shouldn't I yell?! Nobody's even out here!" he yelled as he gestured to the empty area around us.

He had a point.

He walked closer to me. "Are you out of your mind?! W-why in the world would you let him live with you?! That's so ludicrous and insane! Having the opposite gender living with you! You're so cra-" I slapped a hand over his mouth before he could rant anymore.

"Would you please be quiet? I don't want anyone else to know. I know that there isn't anyone around here but still things can echo out here and someone nearby could hear." I hissed at him.

He glared at me and nodded.

Then I released his mouth and stepped back. "Okay, now you can rant."

"Why is he staying at your house? Doesn't he have his own house, like the Carpentry?" he asked a bit quieter this time.

"Well yeah he does, but he got sick on the first day and spent the night. After that he went back home, but then he came back because he thought that I was lonely."

"Were you lonely?" he asked.

"A little, it's kind of nice that he's staying with me."

Gill covered his face with his hand. "Please, tell me that he's not sharing your bed." he dreaded.

I hit his arm playfully. "Good grief, no. He's sleeping on the couch. I'm not that crazy. What kind of girl do you think I am?"

He rubbed his arm where I punched him. "A rather rough tomboy; you hit like a guy."

I held up my fist. "You want another? Luke said the same thing, so I gave him another knuckle sandwich."

He backed away. "No thanks, I'm good."

I laughed and went back to my rain dancing. "You're such a wimp!"

Gill sighed and continued to follow me.

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><p>When we reached my house I was in shock.<p>

My house was finished. My house looked a lot bigger this time. Small extensions and extra roofing were added. It looked amazing!

I smiled. "Wow! He finished it!"

Gill looked up at the house. "Hmmm...it looks like he did."

I unlocked the door and checked inside.

I flipped the lights on to find that the main room had been extended. 'Wow, now I won't feel so cramped anymore.'

"Hey Luke! Are you here?" I called out.

No answer.

"Yep, he's not here." I announced as I looked back at Gill, who stood in the rain with the same blank expression that he had back at the cemetery.

"Ah." he responded.

I raised a brow. "Couldn't you at least smile?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Even for your **_best friend_**?"

"Forget it."

I huffed out a long breath. "Well, can I at least ask you something?"

"Sure."

'_**Oh, so now he says yes**_.'

Then the rain started to fall a little bit harder.

"Let's go inside first. The rain is coming starting to get worse." I said as I let him into my house.

Gill shut the door behind him as he began glancing around the main room. "Nice little place you've got here. Quiet, small, in the middle of a deserted district; I like it."

I took my shoes off. "Thanks."

He smoothed out his damp hair. "So what did you want to ask me?"

I crossed my arms and walked towards him while looking down. "Uh...that accident...between you and Luke...with the ax." I said slowly.

"Yes?"

"Did you...um..."

"What?"

I met his eyes. "Did you...get...ummm...a mark?"

He was taken aback. "You mean a scar?" he finished.

I nodded.

He stared at me for a bit and then he unbuttoned his right cuff link sleeve. Then he pulled the sleeve back up to his shoulder.

I stared in shock as I was face to face with an extremely long pink scar. It traveled from his shoulder all the way down near his wrist. The glare of the light caught off it's glossiness.

I covered my mouth with my hand. "Oh...my...gosh."

He looked down at it and then back at me. "That's what his ax did to me."

I removed my hand. "Oh my, that's...horrible. I-I can't believe that happened."

He nodded. "Well it did."

I moved closer to him to get a better look.

Then without thinking I reached my hand out and touched the top of the scar near his shoulder.

He flinched at first, but then he relaxed.

It felt so weird. His scar felt like silk, but it gave me chills that kept me from removing my hand.

Then very lightly, I began to trace my finger down the scar with his eyes following it. He didn't seem to mind at all.

"I can see why you always wear long sleeved shirts. You're trying to hide it." I commented.

He nodded. "I always hide it so no one will ask about it. Nobody knows it's even there."

I stopped my finger. "I'm sorry. I-I shouldn't have probably asked about it."

"No, it's okay; I trust you."

I stared at him and then smiled. 'He actually remembered.'

I drew my hand back as he started lowering his sleeve. "I'm glad that you told me that story, Gill."

He buttoned his cufflink at his wrist. "Actually, I should be the one thanking you, for today."

Then he smoothed out his shirt. "You took the time to hang out with me, despite all of...my whining and complaining, you still wanted to make me relaxed and happy. And then in the end, we became friends." he added.

I smiled at the thought.

"I'll still probably act like a grouch sometimes, but I'll try to hold back."

I let out a laugh. "I figured you'd say that."

We stared at each other for a few seconds and then he quietly pulled me into a hug. I slowly put my arms around him and hugged.

I felt a warm feeling inside; I'd broken down more walls to finding out who the 'real' Gill is. I couldn't feel any happier than I am now.

**CRACK!**

Our heads jerked towards the noise to see the front door wide open.

A dark figure stood in the doorway. Then, just like in a movie, a clap of thunder and lightning lit up behind the figure to reveal their identity.

I let go of Gill quickly. "Luke!" I gasped.

His face was in complete shock as he stared into the wide eyes of his worst enemy.

**_'Oh this is just great. _**Why does this whole day feel like I'm watching a Soap Opera? I feel like I'm living in Salem on Days of Our Lives**_.'  
><em>**

Luke's face turned into a snarl. "What are you doing with your grimy hands on my friend?!"

Gill rolled his eyes. "Oh please and **_you_** don't have grimy hands either; chopping wood all day." he shot back.

Luke walked inside and slammed the door shut. His clothes were dripping wet all over the floor as he walked in. "I don't need to hear any of your crap, okay? I want to know why you have your filthy prissy boy hands on my friend."

Gill pursed his lips. "But wouldn't you have to hear my crap if I was giving you my answer?"

Despite the fight, I had to stifle a laugh from Gill's comment. 'No! This is not the time to laugh!' I mentally scolded.

Luke growled again. "Just answer the darn question!"

Gill crossed his arms leisurely. "Well if you must know, your 'friend' here, is actually my friend now."

Luke eyes widened more. "Wh-what?!"

**_'And he just drops the bomb like that...great, now what?_**

**_Well Luke could probably decide to hate me for the rest of my life, leaving Gill to be my only friend._**

**_If I defend Luke, then Gill will probably hate me for the rest of his life, even though what happened earlier at the cemetery._**

**_Or I could just leave in the middle of the fight. Oh who am I kidding, this is my house. I could just kick them out and lose them both._**

**_Well, only one way to find out.'_**

"What do you mean she's your friend? You hate her." Luke argued.

Gill scoffed. "I never said I hated her, I may have called her annoying, but I'd never hate her."

'I think that was supposed to be a compliment.'

"When did this come up?" Luke asked.

"Today actually. We spent the day together."

'_**Great**_, now he knows. Way to keep it on the down-low Gilly.'

"No she didn't. She was spending the day with Candace and Kathy."

"I lied!" I squeaked.

Both of them looked at me. "You lied? But why?" Luke asked.

I looked down at my feet. "Well...I couldn't tell you that I was going to hang out with Gill today."

"And why not?"

"Because you flip out every time my name is mentioned." Gill answered.

"Oh, but what about the whole 'hanging out thing'? Since when do you guys hang out?" he asked us.

"Since the other day in the library. We worked together, remember?" Gill replied

He rolled his eyes up at the ceiling. "So when does working in the library lead to having secret dates behind my back?"

"We're not dating; we're just friends." Gill shot back.

Luke chuckled. "That's what they all say. Was that before or after you guys made out under the lighthouse?"

"Luke!" I shouted, flustered. '**_Where did that suddenly come from?!_**'

"Where did you hear that at?" Gill asked angrily.

"Selena told me that Ayame slapped you because you were 'putting the moves on her'."

"What?!" I screamed. "What made you think that _**she**_ knows everything?!"

'Selena was lying to Luke! Grr...if I see that brat...oh she's done for.'

"Well I didn't believe her when she said that you were 'flirty'; that's not you at all and I'd never expect you to do anything like that. But..." Luke pointed at Gill. "I'd expect that from him."

"Luke!" I yelled.

"Then she said that Ayame slapped you and then you ran away, crying." he finished.

Gill walked towards him slowly. "Didn't you ever learn that not everything someone tells you is all true? It's just gossip; Selena was telling you a huge lie."

Luke shuffled from side to side. "Okay, so what's the real story then?"

"Well first of all, yes Ayame did slap me but it wasn't because we made out. She did it because I was saying nasty things about you. She was defending you, so she slapped me. Then I ran away because I was upset." Gill explained.

'Well, at least he's not saying **_everything_**.'

"So I went after him and we talked for awhile and decided to become friends." I finished up for him.

Luke stared at us for a few minutes.

"I-I'm really sorry Luke. I'm sorry I lied to you. I just didn't know how to tell you." I apologized.

He sighed. "Okay, I forgive you."

I gave him a small smile. 'At least I'm forgiven.'

Then he looked at Gill.

Gill raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Aren't' you supposed to leave now? Cause _**some**_ of us don't want you here." Luke replied.

"Luke!" I growled.

He looked over at me. "What? I don't feel comfortable with him here."

Gill crossed his arms. "Fine, I'll leave for your sake."

Luke smirked. "Thank you." Then he walked over to the bathroom. "If you need me, I will be in here. Let me know when he's gone." he requested as he shut the door behind him.

'The bathroom? Really Luke?'

Then I looked back at Gill. "I'm sorry about him."

"It's alright. He hasn't liked me since that day and I doubt it will ever change." he responded as he looked down at his soaking wet shoes.

"Yeah, sounds like it." I said as I absentmindedly slid my socked foot across the floor. "Oh...um...thanks by the way, you know...for covering."

He met my eyes. "Oh...no problem. I don't think that he needs to know the **_whole_** story."

I laughed softly. "Yeah, you're right."

"Thank you again...for keeping me company today."

I smiled. "You're welcome."

He took a quick step forward and leaned in close towards my face, causing my breath to hitch in my throat.

I'm not really used to having a guy that close to my face and invading my bubble.

"By the way, _**never**_ tell anyone about the story I told you." Then he glanced at the bathroom. "Especially not him."

I nodded. "Okay, I swear."

He stepped back, leaving me to breath normally again. Then he walked over the door and opened it. "I'll see you later then." he said as he glanced over his shoulder back at me.

I waved. "Yeah, see ya."

He nodded and then left the house, shutting the door behind him.

Suddenly the bathroom door flung open and Luke stepped out. "_**Finally**_ he's gone." he sighed as he walked over to me.

I turned around and punched him in the arm.

"Ow! Hey! What was that for?!" he shouted.

"What was that all about?!"

He rubbed his arm. "What was **_what_** all about?"

"Oh you know exactly what I mean. Why do you have to be such a jerk to him?" I scolded him as I went into the kitchen.

He followed close behind me as he rebutted back. "Oh, come on Ayame. You know I don't like him."

I opened the fridge door. "Of course I know you don't like him. But he's still my friend." I relied as I got a bag of veggies that Anissa had given to me a few days ago.

"Which brings me back to this question, how in the world could you be friends with that...that...pompous?!"

"For your information, I actually **_like_** hanging out with him." I responded as I got a knife out of the drawer.

Luke's mouth dropped. "What?! Why him?! I thought that you liked hanging out with me."

"I do." I said while chopping the veggies. "I can have more than one friend, Luke. Besides he seemed happy to make a friend. He spends all of his time alone so I wanted to try and give him some company."

"He's just fine all by himself. Besides, he chooses to stay in an office all day while the rest of us try to have a life."

I stopped chopping for a moment. 'Hmm...this could be a good moment to do something...mischievous.'

Then I quickly put on a serious expression and pointed the knife at Luke. "I mean it Luke." I warned as I moved towards him.

He jumped back and walked backwards. "Whoa! Hey! Watch where you're pointing that thing!" he shouted.

"You'd better stop cutting on Gill like that."

"Hey, you'd better not be cutting me with that." he said as he rounded the counter.

I followed him carefully around the island counter. "I'm serious Luke. You need to back off and leave Gill alone. You hear me?"

When Luke made a complete circle around the counter he started backing towards the living room. "Okay, okay I will."

I jolted the knife forward suddenly and Luke jumped back.

When he jumped back, the back of his legs caught onto the arm of the couch and fell backwards onto it.

I pointed it towards him again. "Say you swear that you'll try to get along with him. Say it!"

"Okay! Okay! I swear I'll get along with him! Just please! Don't stab me!" he cried.

I stopped glaring at him and started snickering. '**_Oh how I love to mess with him._**' Then I pulled the knife away and began laughing out loud. "You should have seen your face! Ha ha!"

He glared. "Hey, that's not funny! You could've killed me!"

I went back to the kitchen and continued to chop the vegetables. "Of course it's funny! You act like a jerk, so I get my little taste of revenge."

Luke growled. "You're mean."

I laughed. "Oh come on, you love it when I mess with you."

"Yeah...whatever." he grumbled.

"And you know, when you think about it...scaring you like that gets you ready. "

Luke sat up and stared in confusion. "Get ready for what?"

I smirked at him as I lifted the knife up. "For your birthday surprise." I answered mysteriously.

He raised an eyebrow.

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><p><em><strong>"Look in your closet."<strong>_

I gripped the pillow that I was clutching to my chest.

_A picture appeared on the cell phone._

Luke stared in horror at the screen. "No…he's dead." he whispered.

_The picture was a picture of Shia LaBuff's best friend, lying in the closet next to his tower of Twinkies, dead._

_Shia Labuff's character, Kale, looked towards the bedroom closet._

"Don't go in there." I said.

_Kale walked towards the closet._

"He's going in there." Luke said.

_He slowly opened the door and stared at the dead corpse of his best friend, Ronnie._

"No way." Luke said quietly.

_Suddenly Ronnie woke up and jumped at Kale, scaring him._

"Ahhhh!" Luke screamed as he jumped into the air and landed on the floor.

"Bwhahahaha!" I laughed as I fell on the couch and rolled around.

Luke sat up and clutched his chest, breathing erratically. "Oh man, that scared me." he laughed.

"That's the best part of the movie." I gasped out.

Luke hoisted himself back onto the couch after I sat up. "Wow, this movie's great. Good choice." he said as he grabbed the DVD case off of the side table.

The glare of the T.V. caught a glare of the case revealing Shia LaBuff using at pair of binoculars, which had an image of his girlfriend and his serial killing neighbor next to her.

"Thanks. 'Disturbia' is the best suspense movie to make fun of or laugh at when the scary part comes on." I responded.

He laid the case back on the table and settled into the couch. "You got that right. This movie isn't that scary at all. It's more of a comedy suspense kind of movie."

I nodded in agreement. "But wait until you see the dead bodies."

He looked at me. "Bodies?"

"The dead girls that he murdered. The broken…decaying…rotting bodies, stuffed into the walls and floating in the underground lake."

Luke shivered. "A lake?"

"Under his house."

"Ew. Sounds awesome."

I laughed. "You amaze me so much Luke."

Luke chuckled. "Don't I always?" he replied as he laid his head in my lap.

I ruffled his dark bluish hair. "You're such an idiot."

The movie continued and soon it was at the end. Basically it was nothing but blah blah blah, the usual hero ending. At the end Kale was kissing his girlfriend and Ronnie came in with a video camera, videotaping them.

"I love that guy." Luke laughed.

"Yeah, Ronnie is my favorite too. And of course Ashley."

He laughed again. "Figures, of course you'd like the main girl." he replied. "No to mention that she's really hot."

I sighed. "**_Really_** Luke? _**Really**_?"

I felt his shoulders shrug. "Hey, she's really sexy. Most girls in movies are."

I stared at the screen. "So if I was ever in a movie, then I'd be sexy and hot?" I blurted out.

Wow...that's a first for me. I never really say anything like that.

Luke looked up at me and turned his body so he was lying on his back. "Yeah, you could be the next Megan Fox. You could be the sexy hero chick and I could be your super hot sidekick that kicks butt."

I snickered. "Yeah, we'll be the next heroes of the 'Transformers' movies."

Luke burst out laughing. "Yeah, the remake of 'Transformers'. We'll be 'Transformers on Waffle Island'."

"Ha ha! That would be hilarious." I laughed.

We continued laughing through the scrolling credits until they finally ended.

When they were done, Luke sighed. "By the way, I'm sorry that I yelled at you like that. I was just angry."

It was my turn to sigh. "No, I shouldn't have lied to you. I was scared to see what you would think if I was going to hang out with him.I was afraid that you were going to hate me."

"I'd never hate you Ayame. I just...I didn't like to hear that you were with him." He paused. "When Selena told me that she saw you with him...I didn't know what to think. I didn't know if you were angry with me or...you...umm..."

I raised my eyebrows. "You thought that I would be on a date with him or something like that?"

He rubbed his neck. "Well...I-I guess."

"You guess?" I laughed softly, shaking my head. "Luke, there's nothing more going on between us. We're just friends, I swear." Then I ruffled his hair. "Do you believe me?"

He looked up at me. "Yeah, of course I believe you. I just can't believe Selena would lie like that."

'I could.'

"So do you accept my apology?"

I pondered for a moment. "I'll forgive you...if you try to stop being mean to Gill."

He sighed. "Fine, I'll try. But I'm not gonna like it."

I laughed. 'I guess that's better than nothing.'

Then Luke let out a yawn.

"Well it's getting really late now. Maybe it's time for bed." I suggested.

Luke nodded and sat up. "Yeah, I'm getting tired. It's time to hit the hay."

I got up from the couch and stretched. "Ahh! My muscles are sore." I groaned as I limped over to the dresser to get my pj's out.

"Speak for yourself; I can't feel my muscles anymore. I've been working too hard." Luke responded.

I looked around my newly finished house. "Yeah, you've done a great job."

"Thanks." he replied with a smile.

After I had gone into the bathroom to change into my pj's I came back out and sighed. "Do you know when your dad's coming home?" I asked as I pulled the sheets off my bed.

"He's bound to be home any day now." Luke replied as he got up from the couch.

"Well you'd better be going home sometime. If your dad found out that you've been here all week-"

"Ah, I'm not afraid of my old man. What's he gonna do? Nag at me?"

"I was going to say he'll probably kill you with an ax."

Luke's face went pale white.

I started laughing as I tumbled into bed.

He glared. "Why do you always laugh at me?"

"Because you're really funny, Luke. You always help me get a smile on my face, no matter what you do."

He stopped glaring. "Really?"

I sat up and nodded.

Luke smiled at me as he took off his vest so he was only wearing a white t-shirt. "So, I bet that it's gonna storm tonight."

My heart sank and my throat was dry. "Wh-what?"

"I said, 'I think it's gonna storm tonight'. Just look out the window." he replied as he pointed at a window.

I looked out and saw little water droplets dripping down the window and the trees were bending in the wind.

I started shaking at the sight.

"Ayame? Are you okay?"

I looked back at Luke. He had changed his jeans to a pair of sweat pants. "Y-yeah. I'm fine. I'm just a little cold that's all." I replied as I buried myself in between the bed sheets.

"You sure? Do you need another blanket?" he asked as he held up his green blanket.

I shook my head. "No, that's okay. You need it. If I took your blanket, then you'd be freezing."

"Yeah, you're right." he agreed as he put the blanket back on the couch. Then he walked over to my bed and crouched down beside it. "Are you sure you're okay?"

I lay on my side, resting on my elbow to hold myself up. "Yeah, I'm fine."

He put a hand on the top of my head and began to muzzle my hair. "Okay." he replied with a smile.

I smiled back at him.

Luke removed his hand and stood up. "Well, time for bed." he said as he walked over to the light switch and turned it off.

I snuggled into my pillow while Luke lay down on the couch.

"Good night Ayame." I heard him call.

"Night Luke." I replied.

The sound of the rain was growing harder. The wind howled through the trees. The hair on the back of my neck pricked up. I shut my eyes tightly, trying to fall asleep.

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><p><strong>Wow! So many twists and turns in this chapter! haha When I worked on this chapter, I kept thinking about 'Days of Our Lives' (good show by the way lol)...there's sooo many shocking turn of events that keep me wanting more. So I tried to add a little bit of Soap Opera Drama into this haha. I'm such a nerd! Also what Ayame said is completely true...'Disturbia' (which I do NOT own) is one of my favorite suspense movies. That scene I described actually kind of happened. I burst out laughing and my sister screamed and ran of the room. HAHAHA Best moment ever!<br>**

**Anyways, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter...it will be awhile before the next chapter to come out...because you all know...I go back to school. UGH! I don't wanna go...but I have to if I want my teaching degree. Oh well...So again, I hoped that you all enjoyed this chapter! PLEASE REVIEW AND MESSAGE ME! I love all my my reviewers and my fans! I don't care if it's short and sweet or a really long novel sort of review. I love them all!  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Oh and another note...HOLY CRAP! Soooo many reviews! I love you guys soooooo much! I got so many reviews in just a week! That's a new record! I've been so overwhelmed by all of you guys who sent a quick review out to this story. I just have to thank all of you guys who reviewed, favorited this story, or even added me to their Alert List. Thank you all! And now, a few shout-outs to all of my reviewers!<br>**

**DiamondRainbows: LOL You just crack me up with your comments...not that I'm laughing at your crying or anything like that lol  
><strong>

**pokefan: You'll just have to wait and find out!  
><strong>

**usuihentai727: You hate Gill...nuff said. haha I still love hearing that!  
><strong>

**HMLover: Wow...I didn't think that I would affect anyone emotionally. I cried a little too when I wrote it. lol I'm glad you like it!  
><strong>

**SeiyruKazohu: Hey Delektoid! That's good that you don't remember! You read this story almost two years ago haha  
><strong>

**CrazedAuthor17: Good to see another Gill fan! Thank you! There's sooo much to come that I think you'll love!  
><strong>

**Kelsey: OMG Thank you soooo much! I always try to get a little bit of everything! I'm a big fan for comedy...but every story needs a little drama thrown in to keep readers wanting more. You are awesome! Thank you!  
><strong>


	18. Crushes and Theories

**Hey everyone! I am soooo sorry that it took me so long to write this chapter. Like I said awhile ago...college started back up for me...and ugh! I've been soo busy with homework and other stuff. It's crazy, trust me. Anyways, I'm glad that I could finally get this chapter out for everyone. I'm sorry that it's a lot shorter than my last few chapters...but trust me...this was a good place to stop early. lol I'm happy to see all of you reviewing my story! ^_^ I love getting them and seeing what you all think of this story. Also thanks to all of you who favored or followed my story! Love you all too! I'm glad to have so many amazing fans out there! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! Please review and message me! Enjoy!**

******NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.******

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><p><strong>(IMPORTANT: This Dream Sequence is the continuation of the dream from the beginning of Chapter 5: There's a Sacred Tree. If you want to go back and read it if you forgot, then by all means, please do. Just wanted you all to be aware of that info.)<br>**

***Dream***

I stood in shock as I stared at my dad. "My…my wedding?"

He nodded. "Yes, don't you remember? You're getting married today."

"But…but…who am I getting married to?" I asked.

He patted my arm as he linked it with mine. "Oh you're so funny, Kiddo. Ha! Not knowing your own fiancee; that's a good one." he laughed as he tried to pull me into the church.

I pulled him back. "I'm serious Dad. How did you get here? I don't know what's going on here."

He looked at me. "Sweetie, you're getting married today. You're getting married to someone from that Waffle Island you moved to."

My mouth dropped. 'I'm getting married to someone from Waffle Island?'

"And you brought me here." he added.

All of this information was overloading my head. "But…but who am I marrying, Dad?"

He opened his mouth to answer but he was cut off by the church doors opening. The organ music blared through my ears.

I felt my dad take my arm again. "Well, let's go." he said as he pulled me into the church with him.

The sun glared through the stain glassed picture of the Harvest Goddess. It was so bright that it blinded my eyes. I couldn't even see who was waiting at the end of the isle for me. But I could still feel my dad's grip on my arm.

Suddenly the bright light dimmed and the church alter evaporated and became a brightly lit city street. It was nighttime and it pouring down rain now.

My dad's grip loosened on my arm. I looked over to my side, but my dad was nowhere to be seen.

Then I looked down at my clothes; I was no longer wearing a wedding dress but now I was wearing my green t-shirt and a pair of tan shorts.

"Ayame." a voice called out.

I looked up to see my dad standing a distance away from me. My heart began to pound.

This dream was turning into a nightmare. A nightmare of my past.

"Dad!" I yelled out.

My dad waved at me and began to walk away.

"No! Dad! Come back!" I screamed as I chased after him.

He got farther and farther away from me.

The rain drenched my face as it hit me. "Dad, don't leave me!"

Suddenly I tripped and fell face first into a big puddle. I looked up and saw nothing but any empty street.

Tears began streaming down my face as thunder and lightning rang above my head. "Daddy!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.

***Dream End***

I screamed as I jolted myself awake.

Thunder roared through the house.

I covered my ears and shut my eyes tightly. "Stop! Stop! Stop!" I chanted, hoping that the storm would stop.

"Ayame!" a voice screamed out.

"No no no no! Go away!" I screamed back.

I felt someone grab my hands and pull them off my ears. "Ayame, it's me!"

I slowly opened my eyes to meet a pair of golden cat-like eyes. "L-Luke?"

"Are you okay?"

I answered by hugging him tightly, sobbing my eyes out.

Thunder rang again, causing me to shiver and shake.

Luke ran his hand through my hair. "Hey, shhhhh...what's the matter?"

I looked up at him with my glossy brown eyes. "I...I..."

Then Luke glanced out the window at the storm and then back to me. "Ayame, are you afraid of the storm? Is that why you're scared?" he asked softly.

I nodded slowly and buried my face into his chest.

He petted my hair and held me close. "Aw Ayame."

We stayed like that for awhile until I slowly opened my mouth. "D-don't leave me, p-please. I don't w-want to be a-alone." I blurted out.

"I won't." he whispered into my ear. "I'll stay with you all night, I promise."

I moved over a little so Luke could crawl into bed with me. He held me close and pulled the covers over us.

The thunder roared, the wind howled, and the lightning lit up the house.

I whimpered and buried my face into his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me and squeezed. "Hey, it's going to be okay."

"I hate storms. Ever since I was a kid I was always afraid of them. I used to hide under my bed or I'd lock myself in a closet until the storm stopped."

That wasn't all of the truth...but I don't Luke to hear about my past.

I sighed. "I'm such a scaredy cat."

"Hey don't say that. You're brave."

I looked up at him. "Oh yeah? How am I brave?"

"Well, you were brave enough to pull a prank on me. Most people are afraid to prank me because they know that I'll just prank them back. I'm the prankster master."

I smiled and laughed softly.

"And you're brave enough to stay and hang around with Sissy Prissy Boy."

I rolled my eyes at him.

"I'm just kidding." Luke responded. "And you're brave enough to admit that you're afraid. I'd be afraid if anyone found out what I'm afraid of, not that I _**am**_ afraid of anything."

I smiled at him. "You really think so?"

"Yeah, you're really brave."

"Thanks Luke."

'Well at least someone thinks I'm brave.'

The thunder ripped again causing me to hide in his shoulder again. 'Boy, I feel like such an idiot; hiding in my best friend's arms from a thunder storm. Ha! **_I'm soooo brave_**.'

**"_I hung up the phone tonight_**

**_Something happened for the first time_**

**_Deep inside it was a rush, what a rush." _**

a voice sang.

I stopped shaking suddenly.

**"_Cause the possibility _**

**_That you would ever feel the same way about me_**

**_Just too much, just too much."_**

I glanced up at Luke and saw him staring down at me.

**"_Why do I keep running from the truth_**

**_All I ever think about is you_**

**_You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized_**

**_And I just got to know."_**

His eyes...those bright, exciting, amber eyes. They weren't exciting anymore. They looked...different.

**"_Do you ever think when you're all alone_**

**_All that we can be, where this thing can go_**

**_Am I crazy or falling in love_**

**_Is it really just another crush_**

**_Do you catch a breath when I look at you_**

**_Are you holding back like the way I do_**

**_Cause I've tried and tried to walk away_**

**_But I know this crush ain't going away-ay-ay_**

**_Going away-ay-ay."_**

My heart was beating fast and I could feel my cheeks heating up.

'What's happening to me? I haven't felt like this ever since I saw Luke last night coming into the bathroom when I was standing there in a towel. Or when I walked in on him when he was in a towel too.'

'That song, why is he singing that song? I mean I liked that song; it was 'Crush' by David Archuletta. But why did he pick that song specifically? Was there a special meaning to why he was singing it? And there was something different about him that made my heart beat erratically. Could it possibly mean…that Luke-'

"Ayame?" Luke asked, cutting off my thoughts immediately.

"Huh?"

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah."

"Is the song helping you?"

"Helping with what?"

"Helping to get your mind off the storm." he responded.

My heart rate slowed down. "Oh, um…yeah it's helping."

Luke smiled down at me. "Good, I was hoping it would make you feel better. When Bo would get scared when we were little, I'd sing him a song to make him get the storm off of his mind. Also I thought that you might like that song since a lot of girls like that song."

I smiled back. "Yeah, I do like that song and it is helping me out. Thanks Luke." I told him as I hugged him and laid my head on his chest.

"You're welcome; glad to help."

'Well I guess my theory wasn't what I thought it was, but still…why do I feel like this?'

"Ayame?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you want me to keep singing?"

I smiled up at him. "Yes please."

He smiled in return.

**"_Has it ever crossed your mind_**

**_When we're hanging out, spending time girl_**

**_Are we just friends? Is there more? Is there more?_**

**_See it's a chance we've gotta take_**

**_Cause I believe that we can make this into _**

**_Something that will last, last forever, forever_**

**_Do you ever think when you're all alone_**

**_All that we could be, where this thing could go_**

**_Am I crazy or falling in love_**

**_Is it really just another crush _**

**_Do you catch a breath when I look at you_**

**_Are you holding back like the way I do_**

**_Cause I've tried and tried to walk away_**

**_But I know this crush ain't going away-ay-ay_**

**_Going away-ay-ay."_**

I slowly closed my eyes and sighed.

'Luke is actually a good singer. He is so…sweet. He's comforting me through the storm and making sure I'm okay. Luke was so caring.'

I had this warm feeling grow inside of me.

I loved being in his arms. It felt so right. As I slowly drifted off to sleep I could still hear Luke's singing.

**"_Why do I keep running from the truth_**

**_All I ever think about is you_**

**_You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized_**

**_And I just got to know_**

**_Do you ever think when you're all alone_**

**_All that we could be where this thing could go_**

**_Am I crazy or falling in love…."_**

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><p>I smiled in my sleep as I awoke to the birds chirping outside my window. I opened my eyes to meet the bright shining sun, glistening through the damp windows.<p>

'Well, it looks like the storm is gone.'

My happy thoughts were cut short when I realized that something was wrapped around my body tightly. I turned my head to the side and felt my heart skip a beat.

There in front of my face, only inches away from me, was Luke's sleeping face.

My breathing became shallow as I stared into my best friend's peaceful face. My cheeks began to heat up and my heart was beating again.

'Okay I am **_seriously_** getting sick of this. Why am I acting like this? Why does it happen every time I get really close to Luke? I'm always close to other people but why does this only happen when I see Luke. I've never felt like this before.'

Luke's steady breathing continued as I was in deep thought.

He snorted in his sleep and flinched.

I held in a giggle. 'Luke snored; that's pretty funny and I can probably use that as 'blackmail' later on.'

"Nm…nyh…Ay…" Luke moaned in his sleep.

I noticed a few strands of his dark blue hair had fallen in front of his face. Carefully, I moved the strands behind his ear.

He began to moan again. "Ay…Ayame…"

My heart dropped as my eyes became the size of dinner plates. 'Did…did Luke just moan my name?'

"Ayame…I…I…" He stopped.

I wanted to hear what he was about to say.

"Luke." I whispered.

He didn't move.

"Luke." I whispered a little bit louder.

His eyebrow twitched. "Hmm?"

"Luke?"

His grip on my waist tightened and pulled me closer. My breath hitched in my throat as my face came in closer to his. His warm breath tickled my face. Then his face inched towards mine.

I tried to tell him to wake up but nothing came out of my mouth. '**_Oh, great_**. Now I can't talk.'

Closer and closer his face inched towards mine. My breath grew shallow, my face was burning, and my heart was racing.

"Ayame…I…" he moaned again.

**BANG BANG BANG!**

Luke jolted away from me abruptly. "Whaaa!"

I screeched as I was accidentally pushed out of bed and onto the floor. "Ow!" I whimpered as I rubbed my sore backside.

"Luke! Ayame! Open up!" a voice shouted from outside.

Luke looked over the bed at me. "I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"

I slowly stood up. "It's fine, I'm okay. Just probably a small bruise but I'll live."

The banging on the door continued as I sprinted over to the door and unlocked it. Then I opened the door to meet a tall muscular figure with bright red hair. "Owen?! What are you doing here?"

He panted heavily. "Where's Luke?"

"Um…" I paused as I opened the door more as I looked over my shoulder at Luke and then back at Owen.

Owen's eyes were wide as his biceps as he stared at Luke. Luke was laying on the bed with the sheets halfway on the bed and half on the floor. Luke's hair was a complete mess and his shirt was pulled up halfway.

Owen's gaze went back to me and went downward past my eye line.

I looked down to find my night shirt had the first two top buttons undone. My buttons randomly come undone once in a while because I would typically toss and turn in my sleep, causing them to undo themselves. Well I guess when the two were unbuttoned you could see a little more skin than normally.

I quickly grabbed the collar and held it closed.

Owen looked back at Luke and then back at me, took a deep breath and exhaled. "Um…did…did I interrupt something?" he asked carefully.

"No…we just woke up." I replied.

"Oh…um…why is Luke in your bed…did you guys…you know…um…"

I instantly knew where he was going with this and blushed immensely.

Luke knew too and began to get red.

"No!" we squeaked out in unison.

Owen flinched. "S-sorry, I just thought…oh never mind."

I quickly buttoned up my shirt. "What's the matter Owen? Why are you here this early?"

Luke got out of bed, pulling his shirt down as he approached us. "Yeah dude, what's up with the loud alarm? Are you **_that_** anxious to ask us out to breakfast at the Sundae Inn?"

"No…Pascal's ferry boat is here."

Luke shrugged. "_**That's it?**_ **_The ferry arrived?_** _**That's**_ why you ran all the way here this early? I swear Owen; sometimes you can be so-"

"Luke, your old man is back." he interrupted.

Luke's eyes widened. "What?!"

My heart dropped. "No way. When did he get here?"

"He just got here about ten minutes ago. We've got to get Luke back to the Carpentry before Dale gets there."

Luke ran back inside and began hastily packing his duffle bag.

Owen ran to his side and began helping him quickly.

I grabbed a green bathrobe and put it on over my pjs. "How did you find out that Dale's here?" I asked Owen

"Well, I woke up and started to walk to your house to see if you and Luke wanted to go to breakfast with me."

"I knew it." Luke mumbled.

"Anyways, on my way there I saw Pascal's ferry boat arrive at the dock. I almost ignored it and kept walking but then I spotted Dale on it. So I ran all the way here to try to get Luke back there before Dale gets there first."

Luke shoved his clothes into the duffle bag "I should've known my dad was going to be home soon. Oh man, if he finds out that I've been here for the last few days he'll never let me out of the house ever again." he said as he looked over at me.

I could see the fear in his eyes.

"Well, we'll try to get you back there before he gets to the Carpentry." Owen assured him.

"But how will you get him there? Won't Dale see you if you take the normal path to get there?" I asked.

"Well we could always jump over that big tree root that cuts off near the Ganache Mine District."

When Owen finished Luke looked at me in horror. "We forgot about training!"

Luke was completely right. We were supposed to be training for when I'd have to blow that hole through the trunk of the Goddess Tree root with an ax. We spent the whole time working on my house and Luke was spending the night at my house every night.

Well, we had pretty much broken every one of Dale's rules. Boy, were we gonna be in trouble if he found out.

Luke tried zipping his duffle bag up but the zipper wouldn't budge.

Owen stood up. "Just worry about it later. Right now we've got to get you back there."

Luke picked up his duffle bag and pulled his boots on.

Owen ran to the door and held onto the doorknob. "Come on!"

Luke got to his feet and we ran to the door.

"Alright so we'll cut across the tree and go in through the back door." Owen explained as he turned the knob and pulled the door open. "He'll never know. He'll just think that you just got out of bed. Now come on before…" he stopped abruptly when he came face to face with a figure with a dark blue mustache.

Luke's eyes widened in horror.

My heart sunk and my throat went dry. "Oh…"

"Crap…" Luke finished my sentence.

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><p><strong><span>Uh oh...BUSTED! What's going to happen now? And what was Luke going to say to Ayame? And why did Ayame have that dream? Well these questions will be answered soon enough. Please review and message me guys! I love hearing what you all have to say. If you want to know anything...questions, suggestions, rants, or even small comments; I'll accept them all and even throw a little shout out to you! Next chapter will be awesome! Thanks everyone! <span>**

**Also I do NOT own 'Crush' by David Archuleta.**

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><p><strong><span>And now for my review shout-outs!<span>**

**DiamondRainbows: Haha yeah, he's super jealous. 0_0 If I were in her situation...I wouldn't even know what to do.**

**SeiryuKazou: Yep! That's my goal! I'm trying...but it's too much! haha**

**Usuihentai727: No, I know nothing of your HUGE hate for Gill...hahaha XD I love hearing you rant actually. So by all means, rant as much as you want lol.**

**CrazedAuthor17: Hahaha I'm glad that you love it! Also I'm glad that you did a happy dance! I love those moments.**

**ElitePeach64: Thanks! Trust me, there's a lot more twists coming. *rubs hands together* Muhahaha! You'll just have to wait and see. Indeed...homework is VERY annoying!**


	19. Tomorrow Seems So Far Away

**Hey everyone! I'm soooooooo sorry that it's taken me this long to write this chapter for you guys...school has just been awful to me lately. I've been soo stressed with all of this homework and tests. Finals are finally done and I've got the next month off from school. So that means that I can work on this story more. Yay! I was gonna try to put this chapter out on my 20th birthday...but I had too much going on with school to work on it. Also my new obsession with the 80's vampire movie 'The Lost Boys' has had me reading lots and lots of fanfiction; what can I say, the Lost Boys rock and they're hot! lol I am such a fan girl!  
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**Anyways, I'm sorry if this chapter seems a little off, I feel it's a little off, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that. I just really wanted to get this chapter out for all of you guys as a Christmas present to you all. I hope you all enjoy it!**

**I still love getting all my lovely reviews from everyone! Keep them coming guys; your feedback helps me write more and it helps motivate me to continue on. If you guys have any suggestions or ideas for the future, then send them to me. Reviews or PM's; doesn't really matter. I still love them all the same. Also if you review then I'll make sure to give a shout out to all of you. Thanks guys! Enjoy! **

********NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.********

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><p>"I knew it! I <strong>knew <strong>that you would **_deliberately_** disobey me!" Dale shouted as he angrily paced the room.

"But I didn't **_mean_** to do it!" Luke shouted back at him.

Dale glared at his son. "I made it **_perfectly_** clear that you were **_not_** to stay at Ayame's house."

So here we were, sitting around in my house while Dale yelled at us; yep are we were just **_loving_** it. You can tell by all the sarcasm I'm using. I was sitting on the couch next to Luke, who was laid out like a lounge lizard, Owen was leaning up against the counter in the kitchen, and Dale was pacing back and forth in front of us.

Luke shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like we did anything."

Dale looked at him. "There wasn't any '**_funny business_**' was there?"

Luke shook his head.

Then Dale looked at me with a raised eyebrow. I shook my head in response to his silent question towards me.

He looked back at Luke. "You're grounded, indefinitely."

"What?! I did nothing!"

Dale pointed a fat finger in Luke's face. "Wrong! You did not listen to my rules that I made before I left for the city."

"But Dale, Luke finished Ayame's house." Owen piped up.

Dale looked back at Owen. "He did now, did he?"

Owen nodded.

"Well that still doesn't excuse him from breaking my rules. And I'm very ashamed of you, Owen. You've been lying to me _**and**_ your uncle about this. You've been lying about where Luke was this entire time." He looked back at us again. "And you let Bo sit at home all by himself while he was sick in bed at the Carpentry. I told you to take care of the shop while I was gone."

"But Dad-"

"No buts." Then Dale looked at me. "Ayame, I'm going to ask you why Luke is really staying here. If I ask Luke he'll probably just lie again."

Luke threw up his hands in frustration. "Really?!"

I sunk down in my seat. Dale really scared me when he was angry. He was like the scary parent that you couldn't keep anything from; you couldn't even lie to save your life. "Well, the day after you left Luke, Kathy, and Owen came over for dinner and Luke got really sick that night. So I thought that it would be bad for Luke to walk home when he was sick and I let him spend the night on the couch."

Dale crossed his arms. "Well that explains the first night, but what about the rest of the week?"

I took a deep breath. "The next day Luke went back to the Carpentry after he was done with work. But then he came back and said that he wanted to stay with me because he didn't want to leave me alone." I explained as I looked at Luke. "He really cared about me."

Luke smiled at my reply.

Dale looked at Luke. "Is this true?"

Luke nodded. "She's telling the truth."

Dale inhaled. "Well I guess that settles this matter." he said as he made his way to the door. "Come on boys, we're going back to the Carpentry to discuss your punishment. Owen, I'm going to be calling your uncle over to discuss yours too. And Ayame, thank you." With that he opened the door and went outside, shutting the door behind him.

Owen got off of the counter and walked over to us. "Um…sorry you guys."

Luke shook his head. "Hey, it's not your fault."

"Yeah, you were just trying to warn us. We should be thanking you." I added.

Owen rubbed the back of his neck. "Aww, it's nothing. Well, I'd better go face my Uncle Ramsey now. I'll see ya later." he said as he left the house.

Luke stood up and stretched.

I stood up with him. "I'm sorry I got you in trouble. It's all my fault."

"No! It's not. I was the one who wanted to stay in the first place."

"No, I let you stay when you were sick."

"But then I came back because I didn't want you to be alone."

We both were silent as we stared at each other. "I just wanted to say 'thank you'." We both said at the same time.

"For what?" we both said again and began laughing.

"You go first." Luke said.

"No, you go." I insisted.

He smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh, well thanks for letting me stay when I was sick."

"Oh, you're welcome."

It was silent again. "So…what did you want to say?"

"I…I wanted to say thanks for caring about me and my loneliness. I was actually lonely. I've always lived with my family but now that I'm on my own, it feels…different."

Luke suddenly pulled me into a hug. "You're not alone Ayame." he whispered.

I hugged him back and smiled.

When Luke pulled away and looked at me I was shocked. Luke's cheeks were red as a tomato.

My heart began to accelerate.

"Ayame…I…I have to tell you something….I-"

"Luke! Get your butt out here now!" Dale yelled from outside.

He let go of me quickly and stepped back.

"Sounds like your dad is serious." I told him.

He nodded in agreement. "Yeah, just wait until I get home. Dad will probably just argue with me all night and then he'll ban me from ever seeing you again."

A lump caught up in my throat. "Oh…really?"

"Yeah, I guess. But don't worry. I just won't listen to him and I'll visit you whenever I can."

I smiled at him. "You're such a bad boy."

Luke flexed his muscles. "Hey, you love the bad boys."

I smirked. "Maybe, but I also like sweet and sensitive ones too."

He matched my smirk. "Do you want me to start crying?"

I shook my head and laughed. "No, that's okay. You can cry for me later."

"Luke!" Dale yelled.

"Right now, you've got to deal with your dad."

Luke sighed. "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to that." he replied sarcastically.

It was silent once again.

"Well, I guess I'd better go." Luke announced.

"Oh…yeah. Wait...didn't you want to tell me something?"

"Uh...yeah. But maybe I should tell you later...it would take me awhile to talk about." Then he looked over his shoulder. "But my dad needs me to leave...like _**now**_." He looked back at me. "I'll tell you tomorrow, okay?"

I nodded. "Okay, I can wait. Good luck with your dad."

Luke slowly walked to the door. "Yeah…thanks for that. So…I'll...um...see you later then."

"Yeah, see ya."

Luke opened the door and looked back at me with a smile.

I smiled back at him as he went outside, shutting the door behind him.

For the next few minutes I just stood there silently, staring at the door.

It felt so weird. Even though Luke had been gone for a few minutes, it felt like it had been days. It felt like part of me was gone.

I was alone again.

Tears began to fill my eyes.

'Why do I keep crying when Luke leaves?' I asked myself as I wiped my eyes.

This was the second time this has happened. I know

'I'm so confused.'

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><p>After a few hours had gone by, I finally went outside to begin plowing the small vacant field behind my house. I mean I had a farm and it seemed like I hardly even used it; I guess it was about time to get started on working with it.<p>

I had to be outside; it was too stuffy being inside the house all day. Also I was still a little upset about what occurred this morning. I don't really know why I was still so upset about it. I mean, I haven't always lived with Luke like that before, but why am I acting like this?

All of these weird emotions are almost driving me insane!

Within the next hour, I was able to plow the entire empty field and now I was able to start planting. Anissa had given me some seeds earlier when I stopped by her family's store. She gave me some tomato and corn seeds because she said that they were the best ones to grow during the summer and they sold for pretty good money too. Huh, who knew that vegetables could be worth so much around here?

As I planted the tomatoes I looked down at the small pouch. 'Hmm, maybe when they're done growing I'll give a few to Gill. After all he loves tomatoes.' I said to myself as I thought back to his usual glass of tomato juice.

"Hey Ayame!" a voice called, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I looked up to see Kathy running towards me. "Hey Kathy!"

She smiled. "What are you doing?"

"Plowing the field."

"So you're finally putting this farm to good use, huh?"

"Yep." I replied as continued to plant.

"What kind of crops are you growing there?"

"Tomatoes and corn."

"You're gonna share those crops with me right?"

I glanced up at her. "Seriously?"

She laughed. "Heck no! I'm just kidding! My dad is the one whose gonna need them. He makes tomato juice all the time at the bar."

I laughed to myself. 'I can think of one person who would order that.'

Then I stood up, putting my hands on my hips. "Well I think that's enough work for now." Then I looked at Kathy. "Do you want some lemonade? I made some just yesterday."

"Sure." she replied as we went back to my house.

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><p>"So how've you been?" she asked as she plopped onto the couch.<p>

"I've been fine, I guess." I responded as I got the pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge.

"_You** guess**_?"

"Well if you consider getting the life scared out of you when your best friend's dad shows up at your doorstep at six in the morning."

Kathy's eyes widened. "_**Dale came back?**_"

I nodded. "It was scary."

"Ha! I bet. I've seen him angry, and it's not a pretty sight. It's scarier than seeing my own dad get angry, and he **_never_** gets mad at anyone."

I poured the lemonade into two glasses. "Yeah, not my way to start the morning off." I replied sarcastically.

"No, duh."

I handed her a glass and sat beside her.

Kathy glanced around the room. "So I guess it's really quiet now that Luke went home."

I slightly frowned. "Oh, yeah; Dale found out everything and he's pretty much banned Luke from ever seeing me again."

Her eyes widened. "No way."

I nodded.

"Wow that's crazy."

"Tell me about it."

Then she looked down at her lemonade. "So…um…how are you holding up?"

I looked at her. "Fine…I guess. It just feels different without him running through the house like a maniac or without him getting into a wrestling match with Bo."

She shook her head. "Yeah, I guess after he stays here for awhile, he starts to really grow on ya." she said as she took a sip of lemonade.

Suddenly memories began to swim through my head.

I could remember Luke's huge grin the morning he showed up at my house to begin working on my house.

When he stayed over the first night after he had gotten sick.

When he came back to the house the next night, saying that he didn't want to leave me alone.

That awkward moment when we almost saw each other half naked after working in the library that day.

The christening of "Sweats Date"

And even last night's little drama.

I could still remember Luke's soft voice singing me to sleep through the storm.

"Hey Ayame, are you okay? You look really red." Kathy said, breaking me out of my thoughts.

I felt my cheeks; sure enough, they were burning up again.

Kathy put the back of her hand against my cheek. "Oh my gosh, you're burning up. Are you feeling okay?"

I shrugged. "I-I don't know what's wrong with me. It's been like this for the past week."

She cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I sipped my lemonade, hoping it would cool me down. "Well, lately I've been feeling…different."

"Different?"

I nodded. "My heart is always racing. My face gets warm and turns red. I stutter a lot and my breathing gets shallow. But I don't feel sick at all."

Kathy pondered for a minute. She took at quick swig of her drink and then she looked at me. Her lips curved into a smirk. "That's easy." she said as she put a hand on my shoulder. "Ayame, sweetie…you're in love."

My heart skipped a beat. "I'm…what?"

She nodded. "You're in love with a guy. Those are the symptoms of 'love sickness'. Everyone gets them when they're in love. Nothing is wrong with you." She laughed.

I sat there in silence. 'I was in love? Me? But with who?'

Kathy playfully nudged my arm. "So who's the lucky guy?"

"Huh?"

"Who's the guy you're in love with?"

"I…I don't know."

Kathy knit her eyebrows together. "You…you don't?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't."

Kathy fell back against the back of the couch. "Wow, you don't really even know."

I set my lemonade on the side table next to me. "I'm so confused. What should I do?"

Kathy set her lemonade of the floor next to her feet. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to start guessing guys until your face gets red again."

'Maybe this will help me out. After all, it's obvious that Kathy has been through this kind of stuff; she definitely seems to know what's happening to me.'

I adjusted in my seat. "Okay, shoot."

She rubbed her chin. "Hmmm…Toby?"

I shook my head. "Nah, he's not my type; he's so...strange. Always obsessed with fishing and nothing else. Plus he's after Renee."

"Okay then what about Julius?"

I twisted my face in disgust. "No way! He looks like a transvestite!"

Kathy put up her hands defensively. "Okay, okay. Not Julius."

I shivered. "Just looking at that guy makes me think of The Rocky Horror Picture show, minus the lingerie."

She laughed. "Never thought of that one before. But thanks for putting that image in my head. Now every time I see him in public I'll be waiting him to just start singing 'I'm Just a Sweet Transvestite'."

I laughed. "We should totally try to get him to sing that for everyone sometime."

"Yeah that would be very entertaining." Then she twirled a blonde curl around her finger as she looked down at her lap. "You're uh...you're not…in love with Owen are you?"

I shook my head frantically. "No! I'm not!"

Kathy let out a sigh of relief.

"Besides, I know that you're in love with Owen." I added.

She blushed deeply. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."

I laughed at her. "You're just denying it."

Her eyebrow twitched. "You're mean."

I giggled. "I know I am."

She rested her right arm on the back of the couch. "Speaking of 'mean people', what about Gill?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Gill is _**not**_ mean; he's actually pretty nice."

"Ha! On what planet? I've never seen that guy in good mood."

"Well he can be."

"Whatever you say. I was actually meaning, are you in love Gill?"

I thought for a second. 'Do I love Gill? No, we're just really close friends now. My heart never races when I'm near him...at least that I know of.'

There was no strange feeling towards him. The only feeling I had for him was to be by his side and help him; help him fulfill his mother's requests and to be a friend to him.

But there was nothing more.

I shook my head. "He's just my friend."

Kathy sighed and moved around in her seat. "This is so tricky." Then she gasped and looked at me.

I looked at her confusingly. "What?"

"I just remembered another guy; one that might be the one you're in love with. What about Luke?"

My heart skipped a beat. "L-Luke?" My face grew warm.

Kathy gasped. "Ayame, you're blushing! It's Luke! You're in love with Luke!"

I leaned back against the couch. "I'm in love…with Luke?"

She nodded. "Now I get it. You spend _**every**_ day with him. No wonder why you're blushing all the time."

I stared at the blank black TV screen that sat only a few feet from me.

'Luke…wow…I'm in love with Luke. Well that explains a lot. Explains why was always so nervous around him when things got awkward. Well this is definitely a new experience for me. I mean I was in love; I had never been in love with anyone before.'

I looked down at my lap. 'It's strange feeling...but I actually like feeling this way. A brand new feeling in my life and it just felt so...amazing! But...what do I do now?'

I was too busy with my thoughts to see that Kathy had picked up her glass of lemonade and finished drinking it. "You make an excellent lemonade Ayame." She said as she took her glass out to the sink.

I grabbed my glass and followed her into the kitchen. "Um…Kathy…what am I supposed to do now?"

Kathy giggled. "Well you're supposed to finish drinking your lemonade first." She laughed as she turned on the sink to wash out her glass.

I shook my head. "No, I mean…what do I do about me? You know my _**"b**_**_ig"_ **crush on Luke?" I emphasized with air quotes.

Kathy dried the glass with the little blue dishtowel on the counter. "Hmmm…well does he know?"

"How should I know? I'm just finding out that I like him like that. What am I supposed to do?"

She set the dry glass on the counter and tossed the towel back where it was. "Well…you could tell him how you feel and find out if he feels the same way."

I took a sip of my lemonade. "But…what if he doesn't feel the same about me?"

Kathy placed her left hand on her hip. "Oh, I highly doubt that he **_won't_** feel the same."

I put my glass on the counter. "But, I just have this feeling that he won't." I replied sadly.

Kathy stood there for a second, smiled, and then ruffled my hair. "Sweetie, there has to be signs that he does."

"Signs? Like what?"

She pondered for. Within seconds she had an answer. "Does he ever blush around you?"

I shrugged. "A few times."

"Has he ever hugged you?"

I nodded.

"Has he ever tried to kiss you?"

My heart jumped. "Now that you mention it, yeah he has."

Kathy clapped once. "Well there's your answer. He's totally head over heels for you."

I shifted from my left foot to my right. "But…Kathy, I just don't know what to say. I'm not really good with that kind of stuff since I've never really been in love before..."

Kathy sighed. "Ayame, you're gonna have to say something soon. You can't just ignore it and not tell him. What if he finds someone else?"

Suddenly an image of Selena popped into my head. She had a **_big_** thing for Luke and mean big. She also knew how to destroy me; mentally and well probably physically, I mean have you seen those nails of hers; they could probably scratch my face off. She wanted to get me out of the picture so she could have Luke to herself.

"Selena." I said softly.

Kathy gasped. "Oh no, I forgot all about her."

I sighed as I dragged my feet over to the couch and slumped down on it. I dragged my hands over my face. 'Why is this so hard?'

I could hear Kathy's cowboy boots clack against the floor as she walked over to the couch. "Sweetie, I'm sorry. I forgot all about Selena. If I remember right, she was at the Sundae Inn talking to him yesterday. I didn't hear them, but I knew something was up."

My breath caught in my throat. And she was nothing but a HUGE liar; I mean she tried to convince Luke that I kissed Gill and he actually believed her. However, Luke did say that he didn't really believe her either, but I still don't wanna take any chances. He trusted me at least. I can't let Selena win.

I looked up at Kathy. "All right. I'll tell him."

Kathy smiled. "That's my girl! Gonna share her feelings for the man she loves; now that's what I'm talking about!" Suddenly her expression fell. "Oh no."

I looked at her confusingly. "What's wrong?"

She pointed towards the window behind me. "Look."

I turned my head around to see little rain droplets sliding down the window. "It's pouring down rain? But I thought it was going to be a sunny day all day. Now what am I gonna do; I can't go out in that right now." I asked as I faced Kathy again.

"Well…you could always wait until tomorrow. Then you won't have to walk in on Dale's argument while he's ranting."

I shrugged. "I guess I can wait."

Kathy patted my shoulder. "That's the spirit." She looked back at the window. "I'd better start heading home before it gets worse. I don't want to get drenched before the bar opens."

"All right. Thanks for coming over and helping me out."

She hugged me. "Anything for my best friend. Just remember to tell him. Trust me; he won't hate you for that."

I nodded to her as she walked to the door. "I'll see ya tomorrow." She said as she opened the door.

"Yeah, I'll see you later. After I talk to Luke that is."

Kathy smiled. "Good luck." With that last comment she left, closing the door behind her.

Well at least one of my problems was solved now. I was in love with Luke.

But I still had another problem to solve. What was Luke going to say about it when I tell him?

All I had to do was to wait until tomorrow.

Sheesh...why does tomorrow always seems so far away?

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><p><strong>Holy crap! What do you think is going to happen now? What will Luke say? Well you'll just have to wait and find out; trust me...it's gonna get interesting. Since I'm on break for a little bit longer, I'm gonna try to get the next chapter out before I go back to school. I hope it won't take me so long to get the next one out. <strong>

**I hope you all enjoyed the newest chapter. PLEASE REVIEW AND MESSAGE ME! I love hearing your feedback and your ideas for the story. Please don't hesitate to even leave a simple comment even if it's short or long. I love them all the same!**

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><p><strong>Review Responses!<strong>

**DiamondRainbows: Haha yep; they're soooo dead. Love reading your funny reviews as always.**

**CrazedAuthor17: Hahaha I know right! My dad would have done the same too. lol I'm glad you liked it.**

**krock95: Thanks! I'm glad you love it. Also I love your choice of words about Luke lol.**

**HMLover: Wow...I was just awed at your review. I'm glad that you love it that much! Haha it's funny that you almost screamed out loud around Midnight. That made me laugh. Hmmm I never really thought of it like that. You're definitely onto something. Anyways, thanks for your review!**


	20. You Belong With Me

**Hey everyone! I've been trying my best to get this chapter out while I can before the semester REALLY starts to stress me out. Glad I got this out in time. Anyways,** this is the moment everyone has been waiting for! I'm glad everyone like the last chapter; I was surprised to see so many people go with Luke as their favorite. But of course I can't forget my Gill fans either! lol There's a lot of people on each side of this story! I love it! ****

****Thanks for all of the reviews everyone! I really appreciate them! They really help me understand what you all are expecting and what you like about what I write. Please keep them coming! I love to hear what you have to say. Reviews, private messages, or even just to say hi; I respond to all of them! I really love my fans and I hope that I can continue to write this story for all of you! ****

****Well without further or do, here's the next chapter for my story! Please review and message me! Enjoy! ****

******NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC, Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.******

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><p><strong><span>~ Luke's P.O.V. ~<span>**

"I'm serious Luke! You **_never_** listen to my orders!"

_'Geez, is he ever gonna stop? He's been ranting like this for hours.'_

"Are you even listening to me?!" my dad yelled.

"Yes Dad, I hear you loud and clear." I groaned.

My dad has been pacing around the store for hours, ranting about 'breaking his rules'.

Bo was sitting on the workbench beside me, wrapped up in a green blanket and drinking a cup of warm herbal tea. It's only been three days since I'd seen him last and yet he looked completely different. His sandy blonde hair was a greasy mess, his face was as pale as a ghost, and his eyes were bloodshot; he looked like he'd died and then his ghost had come back to haunt the Carpentry.

"I told you so." he whispered. "I told you that Dale would catch you."

I dragged a hand over my face. "Yeah, whatever."

"What were you thinking?"

I looked over at him. "I was thinking about Ayame."

"Luke!"

I jumped as I looked back at my dad.

"Pay attention!"

I jolted my thumb towards Bo. "He started it."

Bo glared at me in return.

"I don't care if Bo burned down the Carpentry for pete's sake!"

I looked back at Bo. "Hey Bo, need any matches?" I joked.

"Luke!"

I locked eyes with my dad.

He stared at me for a long time, and then finally he asked the same question he would ask me whenever we would argue. "Do you hate me?"

I sighed. "No Dad, I don't hate you."

"Then why do you disobey me?!"

I rolled my eyes. "Because Dad...some of your rules just plain suck."

Bo stifled a laugh.

My dad's mustache twitched. "My rules do not suck! They are there to protect you and to keep you out of harm's way."

"Harm's way? Like what? 'Don't stay at Ayame's house or you'll _**die**_'." I mimicked in a deep voice like my dad's.

"I don't want you to get the girl pregnant or something."

My eyes shot open. "What?! I wouldn't do anything like that! Nor would I **_ever _**do that!"

My dad shrugged. "Well you still have to be careful."

I groaned as I dragged my hands down my face again. "You know ever since Mom died you've treated me like crap."

Dad pointed a finger at me. "Don't you dare bring your mother into this."

"Because it's true. Ever since she died you yell at me 24/7. Don't do this and don't do that. You never stop yelling at me!" I yelled back at him as I stood up.

"It's because I don't wanna lose you like I lost her!"

"You're not going to lose me, Dad! It's not like I'll go drown myself in the ocean or chop a tree down so it'll fall on me! But if you keep treating me like this then I'll leave this place forever!"

My dad stopped glaring at me and stared at me in shock.

Bo sat there quietly sipping his tea, watching us like a soap opera.

My dad took a deep breath and walked back to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Bo looked over at me. "You guys fight all the time. Do you really think that it has to do with your mom?"

I nodded as I sat back down on the workbench. "Ever since she drowned in that storm eight years ago my dad has been a pain in the butt. He never stops telling me what to do."

"Well he has a point about not wanting to lose you. I wouldn't blame him or you. You both have good points."

I exhaled loudly as I leaned forward and put my face into my hands. "Can we please change the subject?"

"Okay then. Well, why did you help Ayame? Was there something wrong with her?"

"You should have seen her when I went back. She was crying when she opened the door. She was so lonely. She said that she lived with her family for years but now that she was living alone, it felt weird."

I heard Bo shuffle around in his blanket next to me. "You know Luke, even though you left me here in the shop and disobeyed your dad's orders, I'm kind of glad that you did that for her."

I lifted my head and looked at him in confusion. "What?"

"I'm glad you stayed at her house. You knew that she was depressed and needed someone to be with her. It shows that you really care about her. And besides, I really like Ayame; she's like the breath of fresh air everyone needed. I love hanging around with her. So I'm really glad that you did that."

I sat up straight and patted Bo's shoulder. "Thanks buddy." I said with a smile. "That means a lot."

He smiled back. "So have you told her yet?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Told her what?"

"That you really like her."

My heart skipped a beat. "Wh-what? What do you mean?"

Bo rolled his eyes. "Luke, it's totally obvious; you have a crush on Ayame."

"But she's my best friend; I don't like her like that."

_'Or do I?'_

"Luke, you've spent **_every_** day with her ever since she came here."

"So? Everyone has."

"You also stayed at her house for the past few days."

"Because she was lonely and I was sick."

"For Pete's sake Luke, I walked in on you licking her face after that spaghetti fight the other night."

"Hey, she had sauce on her face." I rebutted.

"But you couldn't have just wiped her face off with a napkin or something. Best friends don't do that!"

"Well some of them do."

"I'd rather get dunked in the ocean a thousand more times than ever do that for you!"

"Oh gee, thanks for the support buddy."

At that moment, the front door opened and Owen walked in. "Well I'm grounded. My uncle won't pay me for two weeks and I'm not allowed to go into the mine either." Then he looked at us. "Where's Dale?"

"He locked himself in his room after Luke mentioned his mother. He basically threatened to move out if Dale didn't stop harassing him." Bo responded.

Owen sighed as he shut the door behind him and walked over to us. "Not this again; Luke you gotta stop doing that to your dad, it's already hard enough that he's already lost one person in his life."

"Hey, it's not my fault that he likes to constantly yell at me for doing stuff! Most of the stuff I do isn't harmless."

Owen rolled his eyes. "Uh-huh, **_most_** of the stuff."

I crossed my arms. "And what's _**that** _supposed to mean."

He held up his arms in defense. "Nothing, nothing at all. Just making a statement."

I shook my head and relaxed my arms.

Then Owen decided to change the subject. "Well, what's your punishment?"

"Haven't gotten one yet. He's been ranting all afternoon but he hasn't gotten to the punishment part yet." I replied with a shrug of the shoulders.

Bo cleared his throat and looked over at Owen. "Hey Owen, is it completely obvious that Luke like's Ayame?"

Owen pondered for a moment. "Yeah, it's completely obvious."

My face fell. "What?!"

"Well, it's true. You hang out with her all the time, you two are constantly out on dates, and I saw you sharing her bed with her this morning."

Bo looked at me with wide eyes. "You did**_ what_**?!"

"Shhhh! I don't want my dad to know." I whispered harshly.

"What the heck were you doing?! You slept in her bed?! With her?!" he yelled quietly.

I sighed. "Yes, I know."

"Why were you in her bed? That's another thing best friends don't do!"

"She got scared last night so I climbed into bed with her to make sure that she was okay."

Bo slapped his forehead but then recoiled in pain. "Okay, that wasn't smart to do with a headache." He groaned.

Owen looked at me. "Face it dude, you're in love with her."

My throat went dry.

Why was this happening again; I mean Kathy was already giving me this speech yesterday and I still don't know what I'm doing with myself.

Bo looked over at Owen, still holding his head. "So basically we're skipping over_** "really like"**_ to _**"love"**_ now?"

Owen nodded. "It's reached that point. You really care about her, Luke."

I was in love? With Ayame? Well that's the third person to tell me that I really like her. Well I guess it's hit the _**"love"**_ point now. Wow Ayame…of all people on the island it had to be Ayame. It explains why I've been so nervous around her lately. I don't want her to think of me as a total idiot. Oh yeah, I'm already a total idiot. But still…

"So have you told her yet?" Owen asked, breaking me away from my thoughts.

"Huh?"

"Did you tell her yet?"

"Tell what?"

Owen face-palmed while Bo shook his head. "You're such a dunce." Bo sighed.

"You seriously have no idea about women, do you? You have to tell her that you're in love with her."

I stared at the both of them with wide eyes. "I gotta tell her what?! Are you nuts?! I can't tell her I love her!"

"Why not?" Bo asked.

"Because…because she'll probably think that I've gone crazy."

Owen sighed as he walked closer to me. "Dude…" he began as he patted my shoulder. "She already thinks that you've gone crazy."

Both of them burst out laughing.

I glared at them. _**'Well they're not helping me out at all.'**_

After they calmed down from laughing Owen sighed. "But seriously Luke, you've got to say something to her."

It was my turn to sigh. "But how do I tell her? I'm not that good at those kinds of things."

They both pondered for a moment until Bo came up with something. "Well you could just go up to her to tell her that you've had feelings for her and wait for her reaction."

"Or you could just walk up to her…" Owen said as he walked up stretching his arms out beside him. "And you say 'Ayame, I want us to be more than friends'." he suggested in a voice that was supposed to sound like mine.

Bo laughed softly. "Or you could walk up to her and say 'Ayame, from the moment we met, when the sun hit your face and the cosmic rays were in your favor, you smelt of roses and elderberry and you looked as if you fell from the heavens. That is why I want to say that at the bottom of my heart, I am in love with you'." he spoke like a dramatic poet.

Owen laughed. "Yeah that would be good; or you could flex your 'big' muscles and say in a deep husky voice 'Ayame baby, you are one foxy mama and I dig you. So how bout we go out for a drink?'."

Bo began to laugh even harder. "And we could probably dress him up in black leather and have him ride in on a motorcycle."

Owen laughed at that. "Or we could get a chariot and he could ride in wearing a cape if we did it your way."

"Guys! You aren't helping me at all!" I yelled at them, trying to break their little 'announcing joke'.

They're laughter slowed down.

"Sorry Luke, couldn't resist." Owen apologized as he wiped a stray tear from his eye.

"Yeah, it was too good to give up a perfectly funny joke." Bo chimed in.

Okay...maybe it was kind of funny...but this was serious. I'm about to spill my guts out to my best friend, saying that I'm in love with her.

"But guys...there's just one big problem."

They both stared at me. "What?"

I lowered my head to stare down at my muddy hiking boots. "What if she doesn't feel the same way about me? What if she hates me or she doesn't want to ever speak to me again?"

"Well it's better to try to tell her than letting it go and watching her find someone else."

My head shot up as I stared at Owen in shock. "What?!"

Bo looked over at me. "Well yeah, Owen's right. What if Ayame moves on to another guy?

Owen nodded. "Yeah, the jealousy would eat you alive. Trust us, I've been through it."

"When was that? Kathy never dated anyone else." I said to Owen.

He shook his head. "It wasn't Kathy and I am **_not_** dating Kathy."

I snickered. "Yet."

He glared at me. "Anyways, it was a girl in the city I met a few years back. I was living with my family at the time in the city for a few months because I wanted to visit my parents. She was our new neighbor and she was a few years older than me but she still liked to hang out with me. We hung out with each other all the time and we went everywhere together. Then one day I realized that I wanted to be with her forever and that I was in love with her. But I was so nervous to even tell her because I was afraid of what she would say."

I chuckled. "You were scared?"

Owen crossed his arms. "You're missing the point."

"Okay sorry."

"Well when I finally got the guts to tell her I went to her house to tell her but when I did…she had a guest already in her house. She told me that he was an old friend from school and that they used to be high school sweethearts. Then she broke the news that she was moving in with him in another city. It made me sick to my stomach. Then she pretty much stabbed me through the heart when she said that they were getting married after they left."

I stared at him for a few minutes. "So what did you do?"

"I ran out of her house and all the way back home to pack my bags. I told my parents that I wanted to stay on Waffle Island and to never come back to the city. It was too painful to stay there." he finished.

I remembered that Owen did leave to stay with his family about two years ago, but then he came back a few months later and didn't explain why.

Owen shook his head. "Luke, you**_ can't_** make the same mistake that I did. What if Ayame finds someone else?"

That comment burned through my head. I pictured Gill hugging Ayame yesterday when I got back to the house. The sight of that made anger burn through my veins. I hated to see that pompous jerk holding Ayame in his arms.

He didn't deserve her.

She didn't belong with him.

She belonged with me.

Oh my gosh; I'm admitting it. I want Ayame to be with me. I **_am_** in love with her.

Kathy was right. Bo was right. Owen was right. All of them knew.

But did Ayame know? Did she know that I wanted to be with her? She knows that I care about her but she didn't know the rest of it. She has to know the truth. She has to know immediately.

I stood up. "I'm going to tell her."

Owen slapped me on the back. "That's my buddy!"

Bo smiled. "Good choice."

The sound of heavy rain roared above our heads.

Bo looked at me worriedly. "Oh no, it's raining."

Owen shook his head. "No duh, Sherlock. We know." He looked at me. "Looks like you'll just have to wait until tomorrow."

I shook my head. I had to tell her now. "I'm going there. Rain or not, I have to tell her. I'm going to see Ayame now."

"No you're not."

I swung around to see my dad standing in the hallway doorway. "Dad, I have to do this. I have to tell her."

He shook his head. "No Son, I'm not letting you out of this house. You're not allowed to leave."

I stormed up to him. "I'm going and that's it! You can't ban me from my life! I want to live my life out!"

My dad glared at me. "I'm not banning you from your life!"

"Then what are you doing Dad? Trying to stop me from ever leaving you? I'm not leaving you like Mom did."

He stopped glaring.

"You know she loved you. She just left to clear her mind and well…she wanted to come back home but that storm stopped her from ever coming back. It wasn't ever her fault, you know that." I paused. "And you know it's not your fault either."

He stood his ground. "I know that Son. But I don't want to lose you like I lost her."

I shook my head. "You're not gonna lose me." My expression turned serious. "But if you keep treating me like this, I may just leave. I wanna live my life the way I want to." I walked towards the door and looked back at the three of them.

Bo was staring at me like a superhero out of a comic book.

Owen was in shock as he stared at me.

My dad stared at me but not with anger, he was staring at me like a proud and stunned father.

I took a deep breath. "And right now, I need to start living it right. I need to tell Ayame that I love her."

With those last words I opened the door and plunged into the dark and rainy night.

My boots clomped through the mud. My clothes were being soaked through as the rain pelted against me. My face was being beaten by the hard raindrops that rained on my face.

The storm was hard and rough, but I pressed on.

I had to see her.

**~ End of Luke's P.O.V. ~**

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><p>I tossed and turned in my bed.<p>

I couldn't sleep.

Every sound in the house kept me awake.

The pitter patter of hard rain on the roof. The wind blowing through the trees outside. Sam's light whimpering as he slept at the foot of my bed. Everything kept me awake.

It was so lonely in my house. When Luke was there, everything seemed livelier. I missed him.

I turned over to my side and stared at the wall.

I wanted to hear Luke laugh at everything that we did. I wanted to see his gold cat-like eyes shine in the sunlight.

But most of all I wanted Luke to feel the same about me.

_'What would Luke say? Would he be mad? Would he hate me? Would he stop talking to me?'_ My stomach churned at the thought.

I could just picture the look on his face. His face in complete shock with his mouth wide open, staring at me silently, wanting for me to explain myself. But my vision stops there; I couldn't picture his answer.

I couldn't think about it if he said that he didn't love me. If he said 'no', what was I gonna do?

Then Kathy's voice echoed through my head. 'He's totally head over heels for you.'

Could Kathy be right? Could Luke feel the same?

I exhaled loudly as I looked down at Sam. He was lying on one side and one of his paws twitched. I sat up and smiled at him as I scratched his ear.

He opened his eyes for a minute; they were black as night as they stared a hole through me.

I let out a sigh. "What do you think Sam?"

Sam blinked once and closed his eyes again, falling back asleep. _**'Well that was great advice.'**_

I lay back down on my back and stared at the ceiling. _'Well I guess I'll find out tomorrow then.' _

I closed my eyes and began to feel sleep take over.

**BANG BANG BANG!**

My eyes shot open and I jerked myself into a sitting position.

Sam woke up and jumped off the bed, barking as he ran to the door.

I looked over at my alarm clock on the bedside table. It was midnight.

Then I looked back at the door. _'Who could be here at this time of night? And in the pouring down rain too?'_

I got out of bed and walked over to the door where Sam continued to bark. I tried to move him away from it with my foot. "Shhh! Sam, quiet down." I told him.

I grabbed the door knob, turning it softly as I unlocked the door. When I pulled the door open I came face to face with a dark figure. I felt along the wall for the light switch until my fingers found it and turned it on.

From the glow of my house lights I could see the figure in the dark. My heart skipped a beat and my throat felt like a lump was caught in it.

There standing at my door, soaking wet, was Luke.

His clothes were completely soaked through the seams and covered in splats of mud. His spiky blue hair was flattened down and the new bandanna that I got him looked like it fused into his hair.

He panted heavily as he stared at me.

Despite the lump in my throat I finally could try to say something. "L-Luke? What are you doing here this late?"

He didn't answer. He just stood there panting.

Why was he here?

Suddenly, without warning me, he grabbed my shoulders and crushed his lips into mine.

My breathing caught in my throat as my eyes were the size of dinner plates.

Luke was kissing me!

Droplets of water fell from his hair, landing on my face. His lips were cold as ice against my warm soft lips. I was in so much shock that I couldn't respond back to the kiss.

Then he pulled away slightly holding my gaze with his gold cat-like eyes. "Ayame." he whispered. "I'm in love with you."

He pulled away, letting go of my shoulders staring at me, waiting for my response.

My heart was exploding and accelerating faster than ever. Luke was in love with me. He actually loved me.

My mouth quivered with excitement as I stared at Luke. What was I going to say?

A sad look came upon his face. "Ayame?"

I couldn't say anything.

Luke sighed. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have just…you know jumped at you like that."

Suddenly on impulse, I lunged at him, jumping into his arms causing him to stumble backwards outside into the rain and falling on his back into the mud.

I laughed at the look on his face and then I pressed my lips to his, closing my eyes in the process. I felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest. I quickly pulled away and moved off of his waist a little so Luke could sit up. He looked at me in confusion.

Tears began to well up in my eyes as I smiled at him. "Luke, I'm in love with you too."

Luke grinned at me. "Really?"

I nodded excitedly.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and flipped me over onto my back into the mud. Then he leaned down and kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back.

The big raindrops rained on us but we were too distracted to even care. I could care less that my pjs were completely covered in mud and rain water. I was too happy kissing Luke.

Back in the city no boy had ever liked me or let alone kiss me. A tomboy like me never got a boy in the city to ever think that I was cute. But Luke is really different from them. I loved the fact that he loved me.

After we ran out of breath we pulled away, smiling at each other. I let my arms fall down in the mud along my sides.

"Wow, that was amazing." he breathed out, trying to catch his breath.

I laughed. "Yeah, you got that right."

Despite the sweet moment, I couldn't resist doing it, but I grabbed a handful of mud and smeared it all over Luke's face.

"Hey!" he yelled playfully as he grabbed some mud and rubbed it over my face. I pushed him off of me and threw another handful at him.

After I hit his shirt he grabbed two handfuls and chucked them at me. I squealed as I shot to my feet and tried to run. He chased me all around my house throwing mud balls at me, laughing his head off.

I dodged a few and I was hit a few times in the back or side. My feet squished through the cold wet mud as I rounded the house for a second time.

"You're so dead Ayame!" Luke yelled.

I laughed. "You're gonna have to catch me first!"

Suddenly Luke pounced on me from behind, tackling me into the mud. I laughed and squirmed as Luke flipped me over onto my back. He smashed a huge mud ball in my face causing me to scream at the coldness of it. "Eat mud!" he yelled.

After I wiped some residue off my face I smeared it all over his face. "No, you eat it!" I laughed.

Luke shook it off and smiled. "Alright, alright, you win."

I smirked. "Oh really? Then what's my prize?"

Luke matched my smirk. "This." he said as he crushed his lips to mine again. I wrapped my arms tightly around his neck as he snaked his arms around my waist.

I loved this feeling. It felt like my heart was bursting with fireworks. Every kiss felt different and amazing at the same time.

He pulled away and brushed the mud out of my hair. "I love you Ayame."

I smiled and brushed the mud off of his vest. "I love you too Luke."

Our lips connected as if a million fireworks were going on between them. It finally happened. I finally got my first kiss and a new boyfriend. And best of all it was with my best friend Luke.

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><p><strong>Yay! Ayame and Luke are together now! But don't think that this is the end for Ayame; there's soooo much to come for her. Trust me, there's gonna be a lot of drama to come! So do not fret everyone! The end is a LONG ways from here lol. <strong>

**When I was writing the confession scene I was thinking of the last few lines in Taylor's Swift's song, You Belong With Me; hence why I used the title. I just really thought it would go perfectly like that. I hoped you all liked it!**

**Please review and message me! I love hearing what you all have to say about my story! And I always respond to all of your responses, it really helps me out with my story. **

**I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can...but I can't promise that it will be out in like a week or something...college is really piling on the homework and hours of observations. Anyways, I'll try to work on the next few chapters as soon as I can. Thanks everyone! **

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><p><strong>Review Responses:<strong>

**DiamondRainbows: I never really thought of it like that but you're right! hahaha wow I guess Gill did get friend-zoned!**

**StrawberryGirlKairi: Oh don't worry...Gill will get his chance eventually. This is not the end yet; there's sooo much to happen in the future. Glad you liked it!**

**CAPJHMPAgirl: Thank you! Trust me if you thought that was good, it's gonna get a whole lot better from here! lol**

**Demigodkid1999: Awwww thank you soooo much! That's so sweet! Happy Holidays to you too!**

**amsharp: I'm trying to update as soon as possible these days...college hates me and I'm trying to write in-between it all lol XD**


	21. A Little Advice Never Hurts

**Hey everyone! I'm glad that I got the next chapter out! School has been wanting to kill me...seriously; and I'm sure that most of you hate it too. XD Anyways, I'm glad that you all liked the last chapter. So it all seems Luke and Ayame are together, but don't get too comfy seeing them together; Gill will get his turn soon enough, just wait. It's gonna be good! ****So the next few chapters will be like a little break from all the drama for awhile. It's gonna be fun chapters for a little while and then right back to the drama. I hope you like them! **

**Also I love getting reviews from all of you guys! I love hearing what you all have to say about my story, it definitely helps me out for the future and I love your suggestions and comments. Really appreciate it! Please keep the reviews coming! I love them all! Please review and message me! I'll always answer your questions and your responses! Okay, that's enough talking from me, I'll get right to the story now. Thanks everyone! Enjoy! **

********NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC, Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.********

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><p><strong>Review Responses: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love you guys! Decided to move them up this time. <strong>

**DiamondRainbows: Oh don't worry, he'll get his chance. There's still so much to happen.**

**ShermanTheWorm: Lols I'm glad that you liked it! Oddly enough...I wrote that chapter a few days after my ex dumped me. But I still managed to pull through and make that scene happen. Personally, I loved it! Lots to come soon! I hope you enjoy it!**

**Usuihentai727: I'm glad you're happy! lols I know that you still don't like Gill.**

**CrazedAuthor17: Haha I could actually picture that too! Rooting for the pompous, loved it! lols**

**ElitePeach64:** **Indeed, school is evil! Thanks! Of course I'll keep writing!**

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><p>"I'm bored." Luke sighed.<p>

"You're _**bored**_? 'The Great Luke' is**_ bored_**?" I asked in amazement.

He shrugged as he leaned his head against the trunk of the tree we were sitting under. "It's the middle of the week and its hot outside. It's very boring."

I pursed my lips. "So what you're saying is that being with me is boring."

His eyes widened in fear. "No no no, I didn't mean it like that. I love being with you." He responded as he kissed my temple.

I giggled as I snuggled into his shoulder. "Uh-huh, _**sure**_."

It's been about two weeks since Luke and I had our "confession of love", so now we were officially dating.

Dating Luke was one of the most amazing things in my life right now. We'd take long walks around the island, he'd take me to the Sundae Inn for lunch and dinner dates, and he'd come over to my house on some occasions.

Surprisingly, Dale actually wasn't mad at Luke for dating me. He accepted me as part of his family and hardly ever fought with Luke again. It was great to see them getting along.

It was almost the end of summer now and the temperature was slowly going down. So here we were now, Luke and I were sitting under a tree by Maple Lake, being completely bored out of our minds.

"So what do you wanna do?"

He shrugged. "I don't know; what do you wanna do?"

I groaned. "We're getting nowhere."

"_**Really**_? I didn't notice."

I laughed softly. "Well, what about going to the Sundae Inn to see Kathy and everybody else?"

Luke sighed. "Well it's better than anything. So yeah, let's go." He replied as he helped me to my feet. Then he offered his arm. "Let's go then, my lady."

I took it gratefully. "Yes sir!"

We both made our way down to the Inn and went inside. Kathy was cleaning tables while Chase busied himself in the kitchen. Owen was sitting at a table, eating an omelet.

Kathy was the first to spot us. "Well, if it isn't the adorable love birds."

Owen stopped eating to look up. "Hey, what's up guys?"

We both walked in and sat down with Owen.

"Bored." Luke responded.

"What Luke means is that we're really bored and there's nothing to do."

Kathy swung her dishrag around. "Well, what do ya expect? Summer's almost over and it's still hot out. In my opinion, I wish it was fall already." She put the dishrag over her shoulder and pulled out her mini pad and pen. "What can I get ya guys?"

"Pineapple juice for me." I ordered.

Luke sighed. "Spinach omelet, banana pudding, and uh…orange juice."

I snored. "Being a bit of a pig, Luke?"

"Hey I'm hungry."

Kathy wrinkled her nose. "That's…uh quite a combination there Luke."

He shrugged. "Like I said, I'm hungry."

Kathy sighed and went into the kitchen. "Hey Chase! Got another 'Luke Order' for ya!"

Chase's groan echoed out. "Great, what kind of weird thing did he order this time? Maybe I should ask Maya to cook it since he likes weird stuff."

"Hey! I heard that Chase! Don't you dare give me any of that crap!" Luke yelled back at him.

I snickered.

Chase came out of the kitchen to the bar counter and leaned over it. "Well why shouldn't I? You were the one who told Maya I was hiding behind the Inn last week. She forced spoonful of her nasty concoction of beef stew into my mouth. I ended up barfing for almost two hours because of it."

Luke shrugged. "It was a joke. You know me. I love to pull a good prank."

I shook my head. 'Same old Luke.'

Chase groaned as he sulked back into the kitchen, grumbling insults that he could have told Luke.

Kathy came back out of the kitchen, taking a seat next to Owen. "So did you tell them yet?"

"I was just getting to that." He replied, smiling.

"Tell us what?" I asked.

"Are you guys finally getting married?"

Owen glared at him as Kathy blushed and looked the other way.

"No, we aren't getting married, now will you stop it so I can tell you what's going on?"

Luke sighed. "Fine, go ahead. What's the big news?"

Owen interlaced his gloved fingers together in front of him. "Well, Chloe's birthday is coming up in a week from now and I thought that we should throw her a surprise party."

I smiled. "That'd be great. Chloe would love that."

Luke nodded in agreement.

Owen smiled. "Great."

"What do you think we should do for the theme?" Kathy asked us.

Luke shrugged his shoulders. "No idea."

I began to think really hard. 'What does Chloe like?' I thought back to the first day that we met; she told me that she wanted to be a pirate when she grew up. That's it!

"I got an idea!" I announced.

All three of them looked at me, waiting to hear it. "Chloe said that she wanted to be a pirate, right Owen?"

He nodded. "She says that she wants to be a pirate every single day of the week."

"Well what if we had her party on the ferry boat and decorated it like a pirate ship."

Luke's mouth gaped. "Holy crap! That would be awesome. We could sail it all over the island and we'd act like a pirate crew."

"Yeah and we could look for buried treasure and the treasure could be the presents and cake." Kathy suggested.

"Wait! What if we had a story line that went along with the party? You know like a good old fashioned cannonball war between enemies, a kidnapping of a beautiful girl and a handsome pirate saves her, and an epic sword fight to the death; that kind of stuff."

Kathy and Luke nodded in unison, excitedly.

Then we all looked at Owen, whose expression was a frozen loss of words.

"Well Owen, what do you think?" I asked.

He snapped out of his delusion. "You guys…are brilliant! That will be the best thing ever! Chloe would love it! She could actually be a pirate for a day!" he shouted.

Chase came out of the kitchen, holding a spatula in his hand. "Hey, if you guys are doing that, I want in on it. I want a part in the pirate party. Plus Yolanda and I can bake the cake."

"Well that takes care of the cake." Owen noted.

"I can let everyone know about the party and ask if they could be used in the story." Kathy announced.

Owen smiled. "That's the guest list and invites."

"I can talk to Captain Pascal about using the ferry boat." I noted.

Owen nodded and looked at Luke. "And I'll do…something…constructive."

We all sighed. 'Typical Luke.'

"Well we'd better get to work on it right away." I said as I got up from the table.

"Yeah." they all replied as they followed me.

"Hey! You guys have your food to eat still!" Chase yelled at us.

I laughed. "Oh, sorry Chase. Okay we'll eat first and then we'll get started on everything." I responded as we all sat back down, waiting to get our food delivered.

After we finished eating we all split off in different directions. Owen went to the tailor shop to ask about costumes, Kathy went around the island to ask everyone about the party, Luke went to the Carpentry to do…well um something, and as for me I went down to On the Hook bait shop that was on the docks near Pascal's boat.

I went inside to find Toby sweeping the floor around the front counter. He smiled lazily at me. "Hello Ayame."

"Hi Toby. Have you seen Captain Pascal anywhere?"

He looked around the shop and pointed to the back storage room. "I think he might be back there talking to my dad."

Just then the door opened and a very small boy with a baseball cap ran in. He looked to be about nine or ten years old. "Big brother!" he shouted as he jumped on Toby, causing him to fall back, but he wasn't knocked over.

"Hey squirt! Where've you been all morning?"

He looked up at Toby. "I was at the lighthouse."

Toby looked at me. "Oh, Ayame, this is my little brother, Palo. He just arrived here yesterday."

Palo let go of his brother and walked up to me, holding out his tiny hand. "Hi."

I smiled at his cuteness and shook his hand. "Hi. It's nice to meet you, Palo."

He drew his hand back, smiling. "Nice to meet you too."

Then the storage door opened and Captain Pascal walked out. "Well good morning Miss Ayame. How are you this fine morning?"

"I'm good, actually I'm pretty great."

He smiled. "That's good to hear."

"Um..can I speak to you about something?"

He walked over to me, pulling out a clean white cloth from his pocket. "Sure Lass. Talk away." He responded as he pulled the pipe from his mouth and began to clean it.

"Well, you see…Chloe's birthday is next week and we're planning on a surprise party for her."

"Oh, how fun." He rejoiced.

"And the theme of her party is 'pirates'. So we had an idea that we could have it on a boat out on the ocean to give her amazing experience just like a pirate. Then we were going to have a big battle against another ship enemy and do some kind of performance. You know with cannons and sword fights."

Pascal smiled. "Sounds very exciting."

"Well, I wanted to know if you could help us by doing us a favor."

He gave a small nod, waiting for me to ask.

"Is there a chance that we could use a ferry boat for the party?"

Pascal stopped cleaning his pipe and stuck it back into his mouth. "Well, ya see Lass; I need to run a delivery that week and I need to pick up a few people from the city and deliver them to different places. I'm very sorry Lass."

I let out a sigh. _**'There goes that idea.'**_

Then he rubbed his chin. "But you know, there might be some old boats that aren't being used around the island. Whenever I can't use my ferry boat there are always emergency ferry boats or some other kinds of boats in storage. I bet you could use them."

I couldn't stop smiling at him. "Really? Where would I find them?"

He took the pipe out of his mouth for a minute. "Well if you want someone's permission to use them, you're going to have to ask someone in Town Hall. I'd give you permission if I could but I don't have that power."

I shrugged but kept smiling. "It's okay. I think I can convince someone there."

"Hey Ayame! You've got to let me in on the party." Toby requested.

"Me too! Me too! Me too!" Palo shouted as be jumped up and down.

"Don't worry, you'll definitely be part of it too. Thanks Captain Pascal."

He nodded. "You're welcome Lass."

I waved to them all and began to make my way to Town Hall. I was already preparing my little speech for the person was going to ask. I was betting on who I was going to see and I was actually looking forward to seeing him.

When I got to Town Hall I opened the door and let myself in. Ellie was sweeping the lobby with an old ratty broom. "Oh hello Ayame."

"Hey Ellie. Is Gill here?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "I think he's in the back in his office. You can go see him if you want."

I smiled at her as I skipped behind the counter. "Oh Gilly!" I sang.

I heard him sigh. "What?"

I found him sitting at his desk, scribbling on paperwork. I walked up to his desk and rocked back on my heels. "What-cha doing?"

"Paperwork." He replied in a monotone voice.

I rested my hands on the front of his desk. "What kind of paperwork?"

"Permits and taxes."

"Bor-ing!" I sang. "Seriously Gill, that sounds boring."

He sighed as he dropped his pen. "Did you just come here to bug me while I'm working or did you have something serious to talk to me about?" he asked impatiently.

I stood up straight. "Actually, yeah I wanted to ask about something serious; a type of a community thing to discuss."

Gill was taken back as he sat up in his chair. "Oh, well then, have a seat." He responded, gesturing to the chair in front of his desk.

I sat in it and crossed my legs.

Gill stacked his papers on the corner of his desk and folded his hands in front of him. "So, what exactly do you need to talk about?"

I cleared my throat. "Well, Chloe's birthday is next week and well we were planning a surprise party."

"If you're trying to invite me, the answer is 'no'." he interrupted.

"That wasn't what I wanted to talk about."

"Oh, then I apologize. Please continue."

'Wow Gill is actually being polite to me.' I feel like a business women looking for a job. I uncrossed my legs, due to the numbness going through them. "Anyways we thought about throwing a pirate themed party on a boat in the ocean."

Gill nodded slowly.

"And well we thought that we could do like a pirate performance out there for her. You know like a pirate battle with an enemy ship, a beautiful damsel in distress being kidnapped, a huge sword fight to the death."

"Hmm…interesting. So where do I exactly come in on the subject?"

I adjusted in my seat and sat up straight. "We need two boats for the party. I asked Captain Pascal already if we could use his ferry boat but he said that he had deliveries to make. So he told me that there were emergency boats that are sitting in storage and…"

"And you were wondering if I would sign a permit to use them." He finished.

I nodded, hoping that he would say 'yes'.

Gill sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"That's all I'm asking for Gill. I'm not asking for anything huge."

He looked at me with his icy blue eyes. "Well, I don't think I could do that."

"But why?"

"Ayame, those boats are used for deliveries and emergencies only. If they become damaged then what would we have left? Pascal needs those boats. I'm sorry."

"But we'd be very careful with them. Plus Pascal only uses them for emergencies only; he doesn't need them unless something happens to his ship." I narrowed my eyes at him. "And I don't mean that you should go and wreck his ship so he can use the emergency boats and then we can't use them."

He cocked an eyebrow. "You really think I would do that?" he asked sarcastically.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Hey, just thinking of the possibilities."

Gill rubbed his chin. "Well I'm not sure about it."

I clasped my hands together. "Oh please Gilly! For your best friend! Just this once, please!" I pleaded.

His eyes widened slightly as he sat up straight.

'Ah ha! I hit the weak point.' Ever since Gill and I became friends I found out what some of his weak points were. One of them was that I was his best friend and he usually gave in to anything I asked. The only favor that it didn't work on was the same request I've been making since I got here; to make Gill smile.

He groaned. "Oh, I hate it when you do that and pull that on me."

I smiled in triumph. "Because you know it's true."

He grumbled under his breath as he took out a permit paper and scribbled something down. Then he slid it over to me with a pen on top. "Sign your signature here." He instructed as he pointed to a blank line.

I signed it and slid it back to him. "Actually, when you think about it, this performance could be a good idea for the community."

He picked up the pen without leaving my gaze. "How so?"

"Well it could be a sort of a show for everyone. And it would bring people together in some way."

He turned the paper towards him. "Hmmm…I guess I never thought of it like that." He signed the paper and then stamped on it with an 'approval' stamp. "There you go." He said as he handed it to me.

I smiled. "Thanks Gilly. You're awesome" I thanked him as I stood up to leave.

"Yes yes, I'm awesome." he replied sarcastically. "Now you'd better go, you must be a big hurry to get back to the others.

My smile dimmed a little. 'Maybe he could use a little company for a bit, after all it's only 2 pm. I've got all day to meet up with the gang. A little conversation with my best friend couldn't hurt.'

"Umm…actually, I'm not in a huge hurry right now, you mind if we talked for a bit? Casually?"

Gill looked at me surprisingly. "Um…sure."

I sat back down and folded the permit up so I could put it in my pocket. "So how have you been lately?"

He shrugged. "Okay, I guess. It's been busy around here."

"Busy? Like how?"

"New building permits to sign, taxes, renewals of permits, new residents coming to the island."

"New residents? Who's coming to the island?"

He shrugged. "We aren't sure who they are yet. We'll just find out when they get here." He responded as he reclined back in his chair.

"Maybe one of those residents could be a young girl?"

He shrugged again nonchalantly. "Maybe."

A smirk curled on my face. "She could be a possible bachelorette."

He nodded in agreement. "A young bachelorette for any single bachelor on the island."

"A single bachelor who happens to be the mayor's son." I added.

His head shot up, eyes widened, as he caught onto my little game.

I crossed my legs and folded my arms over my chest in triumph. 'I got him.'

He glared at me. "No way."

I let out a sigh. "But Gill, you need to find a girlfriend."

"I don't need a girlfriend. I'm perfectly fine without one." He growled as he spun his chair around so he could stare at the white musty wall.

"But don't you wanna fulfill your mom's promise? I mean she did say to find a girl to marry. How can you do that when you keep pushing the them all away?"

I could see his arm stiffen as he clutched the arm of the chair. "Mother…" he whispered. Then he spun his chair back around to me. "Well then what do you suggest we do about it then?"

'Bingo.'

I let my feet sit flat on the floor. "Hmm…well we need to start thinking about different possibilities of girls you could ask out."

He raised a blonde brow. "Ask out?"

"Yeah, you have to take a girl out on a date before you even think about asking them, 'hey baby would you marry me?'" I responded with a laugh at my impression.

He growled under his breath. "I know what it is. And I **_do not_** talk like that."

I rolled my eyes. "Sheesh, can't you ever take a joke? Of course you'd never talk like that." I sighed.

He sat up and leaned on his elbows that rested on his desk. "Okay then, who do you have in mind?"

I rolled my eyes to ceiling and began to let my mind wander. There were a bunch of single girls on the island; none of them were married yet. But as soon as I began to think, one girl immediately popped into my head. I cringed at the thought of her being on a date with Gill. "Well…what about…Luna?"

Gill made a face in disgust. "Why her?"

"Well, she follows you around like a lovesick puppy. So you can definitely tell that she likes you."

Gill groaned at the idea. "I don't like her. She's…a little too desperate to be mature."

"How old is she anyways?" I asked, anxious to find out why that little girl acts and talks like she's a teenager.

Gill got up from his chair and walked over to a green filing cabinet that sat near the window. He opened an compartment and skimmed through the files until he picked up one out. "Ah, here it is." he said as he opened it up. "According to her island profile, she's about fifteen years old."

"Fifteen?! How in the world could she be fifteen when she looks like an eight year old?! Plus she carries that stuffed bunny around with her."

He shrugged. "She's short for her age and maybe it's just a habit."

**_A strange habit._**

Another thought came to mind. "Wait, what's an island profile?"

"It's a document file that gives all of the information on each person who lives here. We want to make sure that we aren't harboring any criminals."

I snickered. "Oh yeah, because criminals definitely think that they can hide here. Have you ever had that happen before?"

Gill shook his head. "No, but we are just taking precautions."

"So what's in an island profile?"

"Basic stuff. Name, address, where they moved from, who's their family, what do they like-"

"Wait! So it has their personal information too?"

"Yes."

I leaned back in my seat. "So what you're saying is...you're snooping through everyone's personal information."

His eyebrows perked up. "I do not! I glance over their records to make sure they're clean before they move here."

"Soooo...is there a profile on me in the file box?"

He nodded slowly. "Yes of course."

"So what does mine say?"

He closed up the file in his hand. "I'm sorry, but that would be confidential information."

"So I can't even know what my own profile says about me?"

Gill shook his head as he put the file back in the filing cabinet.

I groaned as I sunk into my seat further. "You're so mean..."

He glanced over his shoulder. "So I'm mean after I approved of your suggestion? Is that how you thank me, by calling me mean because I won't allow you to see your profile?"

I sighed. "I'm sorry, it just seems strange that I can't even look at my profile when you probably look at yours all the time."

He walked back over to his seat. "Actually, my father holds onto my record. He's checking over it to make sure I don't make any wrong moves to endanger my position to become mayor. Also because I don't want to see my profile, it feels like I'd be a hypocrite. If I saw my own profile than it doesn't seem fair to everyone else who wants to see their profile."

I sat back up in my seat. "Well I guess that is pretty nice of you. You definitely aren't selfish."

"Wait, who said that I was selfish?"

I laughed softly as I shook my head. "Nobody did, I'm just letting you know if anyone ever told you that. You could prove them wrong."

He looked down at his papers. "Oh, thank you. So anyways, back to our subject a little bit ago. Do you have anyone else in mind?"

My mind went blank to the rest of the single girls. Renee was after Toby, Anissa liked Jin, and Kathy was in love with Owen; so that takes them out.

"Candace?"

"She's too shy to even talk to me about anything."

"Phoebe?"

"She's always mining in the caves with Calvin."

"Maya?"

"Her food puts people in the clinic and she's obsessed with Chase. Besides, I wouldn't like a girl who can't cook something without causing the customer to get sick."

I sighed in frustration. "Well that eliminates every girl on the island who isn't married."

I didn't want to mention Selena at all to him since I knew that he wouldn't even consider dating her. She was a grouch like him but she had another reason to be grouchy; and I mean the bratty chick who wants to ruin the life of the single girl who stole her man; me.

"Well that isn't everyone who wears a wedding ring." He pointed out.

"Oh? Who else is there?"

"You."

My eyes widened slightly. Oh right, I wasn't married either just like all the others. "Yeah, I forgot. But I do have a boyfriend, remember?"

"Of course I do. You're dating…**_Luke_**…now." He said as he cringed on Luke's name.

I was impressed by Gill's ability to refrain form complaining about Luke. He hasn't said anything bad about Luke ever since they day we talked. It's like he's sworn off on ever hating Luke again. Well maybe not completely, but still.

"I appreciate your refrain from arguing about him. Thank you."

Gill leaned back and sighed. "Well this isn't easy to do, but anything for my best friend."

I giggled. "How gentlemen like. A girl would love that about a man."

"Yes…I'm sure they do."

"Oh come on, I'm just giving you a little advice on how to get a girl. You know what they say, 'a little advice never hurts'."

"I know, I'm just not used to this kind of stuff. I'm very inexperienced in this field."

"Well you know something Gill, I can actually help you out with your act around the ladies. That is, if you want my help."

He stared at me for awhile and then exhaled. "Sure, I guess I could use some help."

I gave him shiny grin. "Yay!" Then I glanced at the clock. "Oh, I'd better get going. I've got to tell the guys the good news."

I got up from my chair, smoothing my shorts out. "Thanks for the permit Gilly."

"You're welcome." Then he groaned in frustration. "Is it really necessary to call me that?"

I laughed. "Well I like to call you that; after all, I am your best friend."

He began getting out more paperwork. "Yes, yes I know. And thank you for your…'help'…I guess."

"Glad to help. See ya later." I squealed as I left the building.

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><p><strong>Well how was that? I hope you liked it! I promise I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Hopefully I can get it out before school starts to get even more intense for me. Please review and message me! I really appreciate your comments and suggestions, it really helps me with the story. Thanks everyone! I hoped you enjoyed it! <strong>


	22. The Bloody Ghost of Fashion

**Hey everybody! What's up? I'm glad to get this chapter out now. I'm currently on Spring Break from college and I've had a few extra days to get this chapter done for you guys. The one thing I wish would happen is that we'd get some good weather, it's been snowing and the temperature has been freezing! Can't we have some nice sunny warm weather instead of being cold and freezing all the time? I would love that. **

**Anyways away from all of that whining, I've been working on the story and watching 'The Walking Dead' (AWESOME show! And I'm sad that the season ends on Sunday, hope it's gonna be good!) all Spring Break so far, I should be working on homework instead of procrastinating (I'm horrible when it comes to it). But I just had to get this chapter out while I can. Finals are coming up and I'm gonna be soooo busy. **

**I just wanna say thanks to all of my awesome reviewers and followers out there! I love reading your comments every time I post a new chapter! It's a huge self esteem boost to know that you guys like what I write. Keep it up! Please review, message me, or just give me some advice or ideas; I would love some more feedback from all of you. **

**I hope you like this chapter. It's a really funny chapter with lots of hilarious moments, in my opinion. But it's all up to you guys how you like it or hate it. Please review and message me! Enjoy! **

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC, Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.**

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><p><span><strong>Review Responses: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!<strong>

**CAPJHMPgirl: Wow, I didn't know that line affected you that much. I guess it does give me shivers when I think about it. That's a good idea! Yep! That wedding dream is gonna come into play later on, very important. Candace would be a good choice, but I have BIG plans for it. lols School is very time consuming but I'm trying to write around it all. **

**ShermanTheWorm: I can't wait to type up the pirate party chapters! It's gonna be awesome! I laughed at your response to Gill and Selena. Nah! Gill is too good for Selena, but it would be interesting.**

**DiamondRainbow: Yays! Have to have a little Gilly interaction! lols**

**Jocie: I'm glad you like my story! Oh don't worry, Selena isn't giving up just yet. She's got tons of plans up her sleeve.**

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><p>"So we can get the costumes from the Tailor Shop."<p>

"Uh-huh."

"And we can get the materials from the Carpentry and the Blacksmith's."

"Uh-huh."

"And we can write the script together."

"Uh-huh."

"Luke, are you even paying attention to what I'm saying?"

"Nope."

I groaned. "Luke."

"Hey I'm trying to listen. It's just that I can't stop looking at how beautiful you are today." He said as he brushed my hair out of my face.

I pushed him away. "Nice try." I said as I stood up from the table and walked over to the window.

When I got back to my house I found Luke sitting outside of my door, waiting on me to tell him the news on if we had the boat or not. We were supposed to be discussing the party but Luke had other things on his mind.

"Aw Ayame, I'm sorry. This is just…a little boring for me." Luke apologized as he got up and followed me to the window.

I sighed. "Well could you at least try and listen to me? I mean I really want you to help me with this. I can't do it alone."

Luke's warm muscular arms snaked around my waist from behind. "I will, I promise. Also I just can't help myself around you. You're just so…so…wow I can't even describe it."

I lightly smiled. "You always say that to me."

"That's because it's true. I'll always remind you that." He whispered as he lightly kissed my neck.

"Oh…Luke." I groaned in frustration.

"Oh come on. I know you like it when I do it."

"Well maybe sometimes do you ever think that I get tired of it?"

"Well yeah, but then again I wouldn't get to do this." He said mischievously as he picked me up.

"Ahh! Luke put me down!" I squealed as he carried me around the house.

"Oh? You want me to put you down huh?"

"Yes." I laughed.

"Okay then." He said as he dropped me onto my bed. Then he tackled me and tickled my sides.

I laughed out loud. "Luke! Stop it! That tickles!"

Luke just laughed and continued his tickling.

After a few minutes he stopped and smiled down at me.

I playfully glared back at him. "Meanie."

"Yes I am and I'm proud of it."

I laughed at him as I lay my head against my pillow.

He smirked. "Admit it; you love it when I suck up to you like that."

I rolled my eyes. "Okay, maybe I do."

He leaned down closer to my face. "That's all I needed to hear." With that his lips brushed against mine.

Despite the stupid argument, I couldn't help but kiss him back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held him tightly to me.

The sound of the front door echoed through the house.

"Hey guys…whoa!" Owen yelled in surprise, causing us to break off the kiss.

We turned our heads towards the door where Owen and Kathy were standing there with their mouths wide open.

"Sheesh, do you guys seriously have to do that every time we come over here?" Owen said as he threw his backpack onto the couch.

"Aw, come one Owen, they're just in love." Kathy laughed as she sat on the couch.

"I know it's just not what I wanted to see when I walk in the door."

Luke got up off of me. "Well then, why don't you just start making out with Kathy and then we'll be even."

Owen's face grew red and Kathy blushed immensely.

"Oh shut up Luke!" Owen yelled as he ran over to Luke to punch him playfully.

Luke pushed him back and began a mini wrestling match.

I got up from the bed. "Hey, hey! Not in here you two! I don't want something to break!"

They both laughed and stopped messing around.

Kathy sighed. "You guys are such idiots."

"Yeah, but you love us." Luke joked.

"Uh-huh…sure." I replied sarcastically.

Luke raised a brow at me. "Oh really?" he asked mischievously as he tried to grab me, but I slipped away and ran to Kathy.

She laughed. "Okay you love birds; we need to get down to business now."

I plopped down onto the couch next to her. "Well we were just discussing it until Luke got distracted." I said as I jolted my thumb towards him.

Luke threw his arms up. "Hey, I said I was sorry."

"Anyways…we have the costumes, the materials-"

"And we have our cast." Kathy finished for me. "Owen and I let everyone know about it and they all want to be part of it."

"Yeah, this is gonna be the best thing ever." Owen said excitedly.

"Yeah!" Luke yelled as he high-fived him.

"Okay then, we've just got to assign the parts to everyone and decorate the ships." I said as I grabbed a notepad off of the side table and began writing down our 'to do' list for the party.

"So who would play who in this performance?" Kathy asked.

Luke shot up his hand. "Oh oh! I want a main part!"

Owen glared. "Hey why do you get a main part? I should be a main part because Chloe is my cousin."

Luke laughed. "Please…I'd do a better job than you would."

"What are you talking about? I'm a whole lot better than you are."

Kathy sighed. "Would you knock it off you two? We've still got a lot of work to do so shut your traps!" she yelled.

Both of them looked at her with white faces and I burst out laughing at their expressions.

Kathy could scare just about anyone with that anger.

"So for now we should try to come up with the characters that are going to be part of it."

Kathy kicked off her cowboy boots, pulling her feet up onto the couch. "Yes definitely."

I began tapping my chin with the end of the pencil. "Well we have to have a captain."

"That would be me!" Luke yelled.

"Oh and we have to have a villain." Kathy added.

"That would be me too!"

We both ignored Luke's comment and continued. "Oh and we definitely need a damsel in distress."

"That would be Owen's part!"

"Hey! I am not playing anything like that!" Owen yelled.

"Why not? You've got an hourglass girlish figure." Luke replied as he used his hands to shape his hips like an hourglass.

"I do not have a girlish figure. What kind of girl has bulging muscles and a six pack?"

"You do."

"I'm gonna get you Luke!" Owen yelled as he began chasing Luke around the house.

I groaned in frustration. "With these two idiots here, we won't get anything done at this rate."

"Yeah, we've got to get them out of here. Any ideas?"

I smirked. "I think I might have a good one." I cleared my throat before turning on my charm. "Oh Luke?"

Luke stopped running. "Okay time out!" he called to Owen.

Owen groaned. "Oh fine."

"What's the matter Ayame?"

I stood up from the couch and took his hand, leading him to the other side of the room, out of range for Owen and Kathy to hear. Then I leaned in close to his face. "Luke…you're really distracting us." I whispered to him softly.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that Owen and I are goofing around and-"

"Kathy and I really need to work on this party but we can't concentrate with you guys doing that." I let go of his hand and slowly let my hand creep up his arm. "Is there any chance that you guys could continue this outside while we work? It would really make me happy." I asked with a sexy smirk.

Luke's face grew red in embarrassment as he swallowed. "I-I…I guess we could keep it down a little."

I stepped in closer to him, closing the gap between us. "Please Luke, you'd be doing us a huge favor. And after we're all done…maybe you and I can pick up from where we left off before we were rudely interrupted." I said seductively as I leaned in close enough to barley touch his lips.

Luke blinked a few times. "You're tempting me with that seductive attitude, aren't you?" he asked nervously.

I smirked again. "Maybe."

"Well it's working really well." Then he tried to look over at Owen, but his gaze was stuck on me. "O-Owen! Let's go outside…now!" he said as he quickly bolted for the door, pulling Owen outside with him.

I burst out laughing at him as he slammed the door behind them and resumed sitting next to Kathy.

She shook her head. "Wow that was amazing. How did you do that?"

I shrugged. "I just watch a lot of movies that have a seductive actress and try to use some of their tactics. It's very useful against Luke."

Kathy laughed. "You should teach me some of those; they might be effective against some other guys."

"Yeah, they may just work on Owen for you."

She blushed slightly and looked down at the 'to do' list again. "So anyways, let's get working on this. We've only got a week to plan this."

"Okay, then we'll start giving out the parts and rehearsing by tomorrow then."

She pointed her pen at me. "Gotcha! All right now let's get working on the script part."

~ Five Days Later ~

"Have at thee demon!"

"No! No! No! You're not gonna say that Chase!" Kathy yelled at Chase.

Chase jumped down from the top of the ship. "Oh come on, why not? It's a good line!"

"Luke is not a demon. Besides it sounds stupid."

"It does not." he whined as he followed Kathy around the ship.

"What kind of pirate says 'have at thee demon'?"

"An evil pirate; which is me."

"You're still not saying it." Kathy said simply.

Chase groaned.

Luke burst out laughing. "You're such a baby, Chase."

"Shut up Luke!"

Luke was balancing his wooden sword on his fingers as he walked around the main deck. "You're mad because you don't get to say a line? Wow, that sooo mature. Maybe you should have been the idiot pirate instead of the evil captain. You know the one who's got no brain."

Chase growled as his fists clenched and tightened. "You!" he growled as he ran after Luke.

Luke ran around the boat, dodging everyone in his path.

Chase, however, was smashing and crashing into everyone that was in his way.

He pushed his way through Anissa and Renee who were talking to each other; knocking them both to the floor.

He knocked poor Phoebe into Calvin causing them to tumble into Jin, who was carrying a box of supplies and spilled it everywhere.

And then the icing on the cake; he smashed into Toby, who was painting the boat with a paint brush in one hand and a full bucket in the other, knocking him off the chair he was standing on. He fell backwards into the freshly painted wall of the boat, covering his back completely.

Suddenly the pain bucket flew out of his hand and went sailing into Julius and Candace, who were sewing the finishing touches to one of the white dress shirts. That nice clean white shirt was now covered in a crimson red now.

Owen, who was trying out his new captain trench coat, saw the mayhem and grabbed both of the hooligans by the backs of their shirts as they were passing him and pulled them up from the ground. "Hey! Hey! Hey! Knock it off you idiots! Look what you two did!"

Both Luke and Chase looked behind at where they had just run through.

Calvin was helping up Phoebe while Jin tried to clean up the party favors that were scattered all over. Anissa and Renee got up, dusting off their skirts that were coated in dirt. Toby looked at the imprint of his body that was now plastered onto the painted wall as Candace wiped the paint off of her face.

As for Julius, well, he just stared in horror at his now crimson splattered shirt. He shot up from his seat, clutching the ruined shirt in his hand, and stalked up to the perpetrators. "You! You idiots ruined it! This was pure white polyester and now you've turned it blood red!" he shouted.

"Well technically, Toby did it." Luke commented nonchalantly.

"You two caused him to drop the can!"

Luke pointed at Chase. "He did it!"

Chase looked at him with widened eyes. "What?! Me?! It's all your fault!"

Luke stuck his tongue out. "Nuh-uh."

"I don't care which one of you did it! You both are guilty of this!"

I got up from my seat where I was working, shaking my head. "Okay, okay; enough with the arguing."

They all stopped yelling and turned their attention to me.

"Ayame, look at what these two did." Julius whined, shoving the shirt in my face.

"Yes, I know. I saw what happened."

"Well do something to them!"

I swear, these guys act like children.

"What do you want me to do with them; make them walk the plank?"

Owen stifled a laugh.

"This isn't a joke! They ruined this shirt!"

I looked at big splat of paint. "Can you fix it?"

Julius shook his head. "No, the paint won't come out of this in time and we don't have enough fabric left in the store to make a new one."

I took the shirt from him. "I'll think of something. In the meantime, you should go clean yourself off. You look like the bloody ghost of fashion."

"Well that's '**_Thee_** Bloody Ghost of Fashion' to you." Julius told me as he walked away.

I laughed to myself as I looked over my shoulder. "And that goes for you too Toby and Candace." Then I turned my attention to the trouble makers. "You've got to stop doing this. No arguing, no yelling, no running, and no fighting. Got it?"

They both nodded in response.

"All right Owen, you can drop them."

Owen nodded and let go of their collars.

Chase took off running to the back of the ship as soon as his feet touched the ground.

"Well, looks like he's got a new person to be afraid of now." Owen laughed.

"Yeah, it sure does. Looks like I'll be giving Maya a break from trying to kill him." I agreed as I started to walk back to my post.

"Ayame!" Luke called as he ran to catch up with me. "Hey, I'm really sorry about that back there. I was just messing around and-"

"I know, it's okay. Just please don't do that again. We've got only two days to do this now and we can't mess this up."

"Okay, I'll try to. So what are you gonna do about the shirt?"

I looked down at the ruined piece of fabric. "I don't know yet, but I'll come up with something."

We walked past Jin, who had finally gotten to his feet with the box securely in his hands.

"Anything damaged?" I asked.

"No, everything is alright and accounted for." He responded as he began walking away. "Oh, and Calvin wanted me to let you know that the catapults are done."

"Thanks." I called to him.

Luke stayed close behind me as he followed me to the side of the ship. "Wow, you really know how to organize stuff. You're doing a great job with this."

"Thanks. I hope that Chloe will love this."

"I bet she will." He exhaled loudly. "So how come Sissy Prissy Boy isn't here?"

I walked over to the finished catapults. "You know him; always working in his office all day."

Luke sighed. "I still don't know why you like to hang out with that priss."

I shrugged. "He's just a very interesting person to be around."

"Sissy Prissy Boy? Interesting? Are you feeling okay Ayame?" he asked as he held my head and looked inside of my ear.

"Luke!" I squealed.

"Hello? Is there a sane brain in there!" he called into my head.

"Luke!"

"I guess not." He concluded as he let go of my head.

I hit him playfully. "Meanie!"

He wrapped his arms around my waist. "I know." He pulled me into a kiss and held me close to his body.

I returned it as I snaked my arms around his neck.

He was an idiot, but he was my idiot.

A groan erupted from below. "Oh my, do you seriously have to do that in public?"

We pulled away and looked over the side of the boat.

Standing on the nice green grass was none other than the priss Luke hated.

"Well speaking of the devil, he's here." Luke muttered.

"Be nice." I whispered harshly.

"Hey Sissy Prissy Boy, if you had a girlfriend you'd be doing the same thing too. Oh wait, you probably won't get one anyway." Luke called out to Gill.

I punched him in the arm. "Would you stop it? He's not doing anything. Try to be civil for once and apologize."

Luke sighed. "Fine, I'm sorry for what I just said. So what do you want?"

Gill crossed his arms. "I came to talk to Ayame. Or are you too busy making out with her to even realize that you are making a complete idiot out of yourself."

Luke's glare deepened, but I put an arm on his shoulder to calm him. "Please stop. He's not here to kidnap me or anything. He just needs to talk."

He looked at me. "Okay, I'll stop…for now."

I smiled and pecked his lips. "Thank you."

Then he began to walk away. "If he does anything, I'll teach him a lesson."

Gill growled. "Not before I do."

I jumped off the boat, landing right in front of Gill, smirking. "Wow Gill, you're actually making a comeback like that? What happened to the guy from the 1800's?" I laughed.

He pulled his sweater down over his leather belt. "He's on vacation."

I laughed again. "Wow, you're really getting the hang of talking like someone from this century."

He raised a blonde brow. "Are you just going to keep laughing at me or are we going to shift to a more serious note?"

I let out a sigh. "Fine, we'll do it your way. So what's up?"

He held out a clipboard. "I needed your finalize signature about you using the boats."

I took the clipboard from him and pulled a pen out of my pocket to begin signing. "So are you sure that you don't want to be in on this party? It'll be fun."

"I'm perfectly fine with not coming. I'm too busy with work to be playing pirates out on a ship."

"Won't you at least come and watch our performance from the shore at least?" I asked as I finished writing and handed his clipboard back.

He sighed. "Maybe, but I'm not making any promises."

I smiled at his response. 'Well at least I'm getting a maybe.'

"So how is it all coming along?" Gill asked, gesturing to the big and almost complete pirate ships.

"It's going good. We're almost done decorating everything, the costumes are…well…" I said, looking down at the crimson soaked shirt I still had clutched in my hand.

"Oh, I see her dilemma."

I shrugged. "Oh well, I'll figure out some way to fix it. Anyways, everyone has their lines memorized and they're all ready to go."

"Sounds like you've got this whole thing organized."

I nodded. "Yep, I just love to organize stuff like this."

He raised an eyebrow. "Really? I never would have thought that of you as that type of person."

"Well I guess you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. I actually like to have things organized."

Gill stared at me, slightly shocked. "Well then, I'm sorry to have judged you."

"Ah, it's alright. A lot of people don't know that side of me. I kind of keep it hidden from everyone. I sound like a nerd when I'm like this."

He nodded. "I can see that and understand, but you're not a nerd if you like to organize."

I smiled at him. "Thanks; but I still consider myself a nerd anyways." I responded with a giggle.

"It seems that you're fine with that title."

"I like calling myself a nerd, I don't really care what others think of me. I am what I am and people should just get used to it."

He crossed his arms and nodded. "Interesting, that's a good moral to stand by."

"Thanks."

Gill stared at me for awhile in silence; he seemed to be in deep thought.

"Uh…is something wrong?"

He blinked. "Oh, yes. I'm fine, I was just thinking."

"About what?"

He shrugged. "Um…about work."

I laughed. "Isn't there ever a moment when you don't think about work?"

"Yes, sometimes."

"**_Uh-huh, right_**. So what are you thinking about exactly, if you don't mind me asking?"

He lightly rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I was thinking about the clutter of papers around my office and my lack of organization…I am actually in need of a secretary."

I raised my eyebrows. "But isn't Elli already your secretary?"

"She's actually my father's secretary and she's always helping him with his work. I need a little help in the organizing department and I could use some help around my office."

"What exactly are you getting at Gill?"

He hesitated for a second. "Would you like to work for me as my new secretary?"

I stared at him. "You want me to work for you?"

He nodded.

'I'm getting a job offered? And working for Gill? Wow, didn't see that coming.'

I rubbed the back of my neck nervously. "Wow Gill, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say 'yes'."

"Oh, it's fine; but don't you want someone who's…a bit more professional?"

He shrugged. "I could, but I'd rather have someone I can trust more than someone I barely speak to. You seem a bit professional, I mean look at what you've done." He said, gesturing to the boats.

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Ah, it wasn't all me; Kathy helped too."

"But I don't know Kathy all that well these days and she already has a job at the bar."

He looked around and then took a step closer towards me. "I don't want anyone else. I really want you to work for me." He whispered, trying to not let anyone else hear our conversation.

My breath caught in my throat at the closeness we were at. I guess this was just a strange habit of mine; being close to a guy always caused me to get nervous. "O-okay." I managed to choke out.

His eyes widened slightly as his mouth fell open. "Really? You'll really do it?"

I nodded in response.

Gill blinked a few times and then his face grew really red.

Was Gill blushing?

He took a step back and composed himself, clearing his throat. "Well then…it's a deal. You can start working in a couple days after this little…party is finished."

I smiled softly. "You got it…Boss." I confirmed with a laugh.

He raised a brow. "You're calling me 'Boss' already?"

I rolled my eyes. "Well yeah or would you prefer to be called 'Gilly'?"

"No! You may call me 'Boss', I guess. No more 'Gilly'."

I shrugged. "Okay then, when I'm at work I'll call you 'Boss' or 'Gill'."

"That sounds perfectly fine with me."

I smirked. "And then when I'm **_not_** working, I'll call you 'Gilly'."

His eyebrow twitched. "No way."

"Too bad because I'm still gonna call you that anyways. Gilly Gilly Giiiilly! Gilly Gilly Giiiilly! Gilly Gilly Gil-mph!"

He pressed his hand to my mouth cutting off my singing. Then he leaned in closer to my face staring at me intensively. "I would appreciate it, if you'd stop doing that. Are we clear?"

My breath was caught in my throat again as we were close again. All I could do was give a small nod.

"Thank you." he said as he removed his hand, releasing my mouth. "So exactly when is this…'grand adventure'…supposed to take place?"

I managed to straighten myself up. "Two days from now." I began to look around at all of the work that was taking place around me. "I hope Chloe really likes it."

He looked around at the pirate ships. "Well, I'm sure she'll like it. With all of this going on, I mean, even I would enjoy this if I were a child again." Then his gaze met mine again. "You've done a great job with this."

I smiled at him. "Thanks. Does that mean that you'd like me to plan you a surprise party like this?"

His eyes widened. "No way, don't you even think of doing that. Not to be rude but I don't want something that's…flashy and garish."

"Garish?"

"Yes_** 'garish'**_. It means showy, bright, over elaborate."

"I know what it means! You don't have to get all high and mighty about it." I sneered at him.

He put his hands on his hips. "I'm not **_'all high and mighty'_**."

"Yeah you are. You're acting like a human dictionary for Pete's sake."

He stared at me. "I will try and pretend that you never said that." He hissed under his breath and then relaxed his arms. "Anyways, it seems that you've got everything in order here then."

I nodded in response. "Yep, do you wanna stick around to help?"

He shook his head. "No thank you. Besides I've got my own work to do. New residents are coming here very soon and I've got to get houses prepared for them."

"Oh really? I can't wait to meet them. Let me know when they get here."

He nodded. "I'll make sure to remember that. Well, I guess I'll be heading back to the office now. And it looks like you've got to get back to work too."

I glanced over my shoulder at the crew of workers and cast members working diligently. "Yeah, maybe I should." Then I faced him again. "But remember what I said, you should come and at least watch the show."

He sighed. "Fine, I'll try to."

I smiled. "Yay."

He rolled his eyes and began walking away. "I'll see you at work when you come in."

"Yeah, I'll see ya later…**_Boss_**."

He glanced over his shoulder and nodded.

'Wow, I guess I have a job now." I thought as I climbed back onto the boat.

Luke saw me back aboard and walked over to me. "What did the priss want?"

I folded my arms. "Would you stop calling him a 'priss'. He's not a really bad guy." I said as I began walking across the deck.

"To you he's probably nice, but to me, he's a jerk."

I glanced over my shoulder. "Well maybe you should act a little more respectful towards him. If you do that, maybe he won't act like a priss so much."

Luke sighed. "I highly doubt he'll stop being a priss. It's his natural being. It's like telling a zebra to change it's stripes to spots."

I stopped walking and turned around to face him. "Really? That's the kind of metaphor that you choose to say?"

He shrugged. "Well…that's the only one I could think of."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Luke, that's one of the smartest things you've ever said."

He smiled sheepishly. "Hey I'm smart."

I smiled and walked over to him. "I know, it's just that it sounded so funny how you put it. It was so adorable."

Luke laughed. "Of course, I'm the adorable type. But what about the sexy type?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes, you're sexy too." I responded as I slid my arms around his neck, smirking. "Satisfied?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Good, now will you stop calling Gill a 'priss'?"

He sighed. "I'll try to hold back."

I smiled at him and pecked his lips. "Thank you. Now come on, we've got lots of work to do."

Smiling back at me, Luke followed me back over to the others to help finish this big project.

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><p><strong>Well? What did you think? I hope that you enjoyed it! The next two chapters are gonna be about Chloe's BIG pirate party! It's gonna be good and I hope that you like it! I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. Please review and message me! Thanks everyone!<strong>


	23. Pirates Ahoy! Part 1

**Hey everyone! Wow, I'm so happy that I got this chapter out sooner than I expected! You have no idea how long it took me to write this sequence of the story. I started writing this story back in 2009 and it's still being written, as we speak. But this whole thing, Chloe's Birthday Party, has taken me more than 2 years to write. You have no idea how much writer's block I've been in this whole time. After I finished writing it, it was about 57 pages long! Yeah I know it's alot, but hey, I tried to challenge myself and I think I did pretty good for myself. I really hope that you all enjoy it! Also since it's soooo long, I have to split it up into 3 parts. So expect part 2 to come out soon. **

**Also I wanna say, THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH TO ALL OF MY AWESOME REVIEWERS! I can't believe that I'm up to 75 reviews! Keep them up! I love hearing what you guys have to say about the story and the characters. I love hearing how each chapter makes you feel. It makes me feel great to know that you guys like my writing styles and my stories. You guys are amazing! If you have any comments, ideas, suggestions, or just to say hi, feel free to express yourselves! **

**Anyways, without further or do, I present to you Chloe's Big Birthday Bash! It will be told from Chloe's POV throughout this part of the story! I hope that you enjoy it! Please review and message me! **

****NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC, Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.****

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><p><strong><span><strong>Review Responses: Thank you sooooo much everyone who reviewed! <strong>**

****DiamondRainbows: Lols Trust me sweetie, my room isn't perfect either! XD Gill is catching up, but will he get that chance? You'll just have to wait and see. ****

****ShermanTheWorm: Yeah they are adorable. Well I wouldn't say that Gill likes her just yet...he hasn't realized his feelings just yet. It will take awhile for him to realize it.****

****CAPJHMPAgirl: It's gonna be good, trust me! Can't wait to start it! ****

****HM-Lover: Haha! That's okay! I feel like there's gonna be Twilight references throughout this story, everyone is either Team Luke or Team Gill. lol****

****ElitePeach64: Lols Thanks! I'm glad that it made you smile. I always try to make Luke funny in every chapter; nothing can ever dim that attitude of his. XD****

****SeiyruKazohu: Thanks! I guess everyone has their own ideas of what turns them on and what turns them off when it comes to Luke and Gill. ****

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><p><span>2 Days Later<span>

~ Chloe's P.O.V. ~

'Chloe,

There's something going on at Cream Beach. I'm not sure what's happening, but I think you should see what's going on down there. Meet me at the Sundae Inn at 11:00 sharp, please.

Owen'

That was the note I found on my bedside table this morning. It sounded really important.

Stuff really doesn't happen here on Waffle Island often. The last coolest thing that happened here was when Ayame got here. I really liked her; she was like my sister here. She was what the island needed. Other than that, nothing else has happened. Hopefully whatever this thing at the beach was, it was going to be exciting.

I left the shop at 10:50 and started to walk towards town. I wonder what this exciting thing could be. Maybe there's a new person coming to the island maybe Mayor Hamilton came up with a new festival. Well, whatever it is, I hope its going to be cool.

When I reached the Sundae Inn there was nobody in sight. 'Well that takes away the festival since nobody is here. So I wonder what Owen wanted me to come here for.'

"Ahoy!" a voice shouted from behind me.

I spun around to find a pirate smiling down at me. Wait a second, a pirate?! My eyes were as wide they could get as I stared back at the pirate. It was a girl pirate with long golden hair with a red bandana tied around her head. She wore a red shirt with a black vest over it and a torn up black skirt to match. She looked like…wait a second…that's Kathy!

"Ahoy there, matie. How are you doing this morning?"

I smiled at her. I'm doing good." She smiled back.

"That's great to hear. Now listen, there's a very important mission going on down at the docks and we need your help."

"What kind of mission?"

"The kind of adventure out on the seas kind of mission. The captain personally asked for you help with this mission."

"He did?" I asked, astonished. The captain wanted my help?

The pirate nodded her head. "Do you accept?"

I nodded my head furiously. "Yes, I'd love to!"

"Then what are we waiting for then? Let's go."

I smiled and followed her out to the dock.

A ship was docked outside of the bait shop.

As we grew closer my eyes widened and my mouth dropped. Sitting at the dock was a huge pirate ship. It was tall with big black sails and a big with skull and cross bones painted on it. It was amazing!

A small platform lowered onto the deck. "Well matie, go aboard." Kathy told me.

I grinned and walked onto the ship. It was like being in a dream. Everything on the ship was just like in all of those pirate books I've read and the movies I've seen.

"All hands on deck!" Kathy shouted.

Within seconds, crew member started appearing on deck. The strange thing was that they all looked like some of the people who lived here on the island.

"Ahoy!" they all shouted.

I smiled back at them. "Ahoy."

"Who is this girl?" asked a pirate who looked like Anissa.

"Maties, this here is our special guest, Chloe." Kathy announced.

"The Chloe?!" a pirate who looked like Renee gasped.

"Chloe, the amazing pirate from Waffle Island? This is her?" the Bo look alike said excitedly.

A shy pirate who was Candace's twin came up to me. "I-it's an h-honor to meet the great Chloe." She stuttered as she shook my hand, shakily.

I couldn't stop smiling at the crew. This felt like a dream, but I knew I was awake; since I remember eating chocolate pancakes this morning. This was definitely not a dream.

"This is the great Chloe, you all know of. She's come to join us on this exciting journey." Kathy said to the crew. Then she looked towards a door behind the crew. "Third mate, Jin, you can bring the other guests out now."

The door opened, revealing a pirate wearing glasses. He stepped off to the side, letting two little boys run out onto the deck. It was Palo, Toby's brother, and Taylor, Anissa's brother; my best friends.

"Hi Chloe!" Taylor shouted.

"What are you guys doing here?" I asked them.

"The pirates asked us to help them with their special mission too." Palo responded.

"Really? That's great! I've got two of my best friends going on the coolest adventure ever!" I squealed as I put my arms over both of my friend's shoulders.

Kathy smiled at us. "Well it looks like everyone is here and accounted for. I think it's about time for the Captain to come out on deck maties."Then she turned her attention towards a door that was marked 'Captains Quarters'. "Captain, the new crew mates have arrived."

The door flung open, revealing a very tall man dressed in a long blue trench coat and wearing a pirate's hat.

As he stepped into the light I gasped. "Owen? Is that you?"

He stared down at me. "That's _**Captain Owen**_ to you. Who are these landlubbers, First Mate Kathy?"

"These are the special crew members you had asked for to help us on this mission, Captain Owen."

The captain stared at us intensively as he walked towards us. "So who do we have here? Let's start with the one with the spiky blonde hair, shall we?" he said as he looked down at Taylor, who was in complete shock. "State your name and age, young man."

Taylor's grin widened. "The name's Taylor, sir! I'm ten years old!"

"Well done, matie. A young boy with spirit, I like it!"

Then he looked at Palo. "What about you?"

"My name is Palo, Captain Owen. I'm the same age as Taylor."

"Good! You see like a fine sailor."

Then his eyes fell on me. "So, who are you, young lady?"

I couldn't help but smile at the captain. "Chloe, sir."

The captain's eyes widened. "You're Chloe?"

I nodded back.

"Well shiver me timbers! We have the one and only Chloe on our ship!" The captain turned towards the crew. "With Chloe and her friends with our crew, this will be the an excellent journey."

The crew cheered with excitement.

"We need to swear in new shipmates into our crew. Second mate Bo, bring me the book!"

The pirate who looked like Bo ran into one of the cabin doors and came back with an old and tattered book. "Here you go Captain."

The captain took the book and faced us. "This here, is the official book that we use to swear in new crew mates. This has been passed down from generation to generation. It's almost two hundred years old." Even though the captain said that i could see the book said 'History of Waffle Island' and the year was 2010 on it. But oh well, I didn't really care; I was just too excited.

"All right maties, I want you to raise your right hand and repeat after me."

We all did as we were told.

He cleared his throat and opened the book. "I..." he started.

"I..." we repeated.

"State your name."

"State your name." Taylor repeated, obviously not understanding.

I looked over at him. "Taylor, you're supposed to say that."

Palo followed my suit. "Yeah, you're supposed to say your name."

"Oh, sorry. Your name!" Taylor said proudly.

I slapped my forehead. 'What a dunce.'

The captain sighed loudly. "We'll skip that part." Clearing his throat, he continued his speech. "Swear to obey the captain."

"Swear to obey the captain."

"And to promise to stay true to the code of piracy."

"And to promise to stay true to the code of piracy."

"I swear to fill out the duties and fulfill the orders given to me."

"I swear to fill out the duties and fulfill the orders given to me."

"If I fail to do any of these...I will suffer the consequences given by the captain."

We stood there, frightened, staring up at the captain.

The captain shook his head. "Don't worry, I won't do anything drastic to you maties. I wouldn't make you walk the plank; I may be a tough captain, but I'm not that cruel. You can just forget that part, but keep that in mind."

The three of us nodded and waited for him to continue.

"I promise to be the most adventurous and exciting pirate I can be."

"I promise to be the most adventurous and exciting pirate I can be."

The captain closed the book and then looked at the crew. "Maties, let's greet our new crew mates with a good hardy 'Argh'."

"Argh!" the crew shouted.

All three of us smiled as big as we could. We're now officially real pirates! This day was getting better and better.

"Welcome to the crew, maties." Captain Owen said with a smile.

"So what do we do now?" Palo asked.

"Yeah, what's that special mission you wanted us to help with?" I asked.

The captain handed the book back to Bo and then faced us. "Today we are going after one of the roughest and toughest pirate captains of the seven seas; Captain Cook."

We all stared in awe at our captain.

"Is he evil?" Taylor asked.

Owen's eyes widened in surprise. "Is he evil?! Why of course that rotten no good scallywag is evil!"

"He's robbed several ships and towns of the goods and gold!" exclaimed Renee.

"He's taken out some of the greatest pirates that ever lived!" yelled Bo.

"H-he's even kidnapped s-someone very important." stuttered Candace.

"That's right Candace. And that's exactly what our big mission is today."

Taylor's eyes widened. "We're going on a rescue mission?!"

Captain Owen nodded in reply.

"Cool!" Palo shouted.

"So will you young shipmates help us?"

"You can count me in!" Taylor yelled.

"Me too!" agreed Palo.

The captain looked at me. "What about you Chloe? We can't do this without you."

I gave him a big toothy grin. "Of course I wanna help! I've always wanted to be a pirate!"

Owen looked at his crew. "Well there's our answer maties. Let's set sail everyone!"

The crew all saluted and began running around the ship to their places.

"Man your stations!" Kathy yelled.

"Hoist the anchor maties, argh!" Owen shouted.

As they pulled in the anchor, the ship began to sail out farther into the ocean.

Captain Owen walked over to the side of the ship and watched the island as it began to grow farther and farther away.

I joined the Captain and looked up at him. "So this Captain Cook that we're going after, who has he captured?"

"The princess of Waffle Island."

My eyes widened with surprise. "Waffle Island has a princess?!"

Owen smiled down at me. "Of course there's a princess on the island. She's only the most beautiful girl on Waffle Island. She was being taken across the ocean to a neighboring island when her ship was attacked by Captain Cook and his crew. They've taken her hostage and are keeping her for ransom."

I clenched my fists. "Those fiends!"

He nodded in agreement. "And that's why it's our job to rescue her. Do you think that you're up to this Chloe?"

I smiled at him. "Of course I can do this! It's always been my dream to be a pirate!"

He rested a hand on my shoulder. "Well this is your lucky day, Chloe. This is a fine day for you to become a pirate." he said as he looked out at the horizon.

It was a beautiful sunny day and the sea was smooth enough for sailing.

Captain Owen was right; it was a fine day to become a pirate.

"Captain! The enemy is near!" Bo shouted.

We both turned out attention to the other side of the ship to see another ship coming towards us.

Owen pulled out a small golden telescope out of his coat pocket. "Just as I suspected." he said as he looked through the lens. "Aha! Thar she blows! Battle stations maties!"

"You heard the captain; battle stations everyone!" Kathy shouted to the crew.

Captain Owen handed me his telescope. "Take a look at our enemy, Chloe."

I put my eye up to the lens to see the enemy ship that was growing closer. The ship looked similar to Captain Owen's ship but it had a darker look to it. It had black sails and looked like...well...a pirate ship.

I lowered the glass and then looked at the captain. "So what's the plan?"

He rubbed his chin. "It looks like we may go in for an all out attack."

My eyes grew big. "An all out attack? But isn't that a little extreme?"

Owen looked down at me. "What would you propose we do, Chloe?"

I looked out at the sea again and began to think. "Well, what if you get the crew prepared for battle and then wait until they start first."

"Chloe, that's a huge risk we'd be making. If that first strike hits us, it could be very dangerous and it could lead to our death."

"But we can't hit them first. If we blow up their ship, we'd probably destroy the princess as well. " I looked back at him. "There's also the possibility that they might want to negotiate a deal to get the princess back without putting her in harm's way. If they don't attack us by the time our ships collide then we'll talk about a deal to get the princess back."

The captain stared. "Chloe, there are pirates who are crazy enough to do things that will probably end their life and then there are pirates who have plans that will end in victory. You are one crazy pirate."

I looked down at my feet. 'Great, the captain thinks that my plan is crazy.'

"But," he said as he lifted my chin up. "Your plan might actually be crazy enough to end this battle in victory."

I smiled. "Really?"

He nodded. "I'm sure of it."

"Captain Owen!" Bo shouted from the top of the ship, turning both of our attention to him. "What are your orders?"

"Stand down maties!"

Every crew member gasp. "What?!"

"We are not going to fire the first shot."

"And why not?" Jin asked.

The captain took a step forward. "Chloe had a very important point. If we attack their ship first, we may hurt the princess."

"But why let them have the first shot?" Renee asked.

"Because if they don't fire, then we may have a chance to negotiate with them about the princess. If you stay at your posts and wait for the signal, then we'll fire."

Jin stepped away from his cannon. "Captain Owen, if I must say, that plan could get us all killed."

"That may be true Jin, but it's either that or we destroy the reason why we are on this mission; we can't let anything happen to the princess. So for the time being stay at your posts and stand down."

Kathy looked at her fellow crew members. "You heard the captain, stand down."

All of the crew let go of their weapons and stared at the captain.

Then the captain looked at Bo, who was still steering the ship. "Steer right towards them Bo."

Bo nodded to his captain and continued to steer towards Captain Cook's ship.

I could feel my heart pounding inside my chest and my body was shaking all over. 'I hope this plan works, or we'll probably be sleeping with the fish tonight if it doesn't.

* * *

><p>The minutes grew shorter and shorter as the enemy ship grew closer to ours.<p>

"Get ready maties." Captain Owen told us all.

Taylor and Palo stood on both sides of me, waiting for the enemy to come.

This is it guys, it's the moment of truth." I told them.

Palo shook as he held onto my arm. "I'm kind of scared about this."

Taylor put his hands on his hips. "Ha! I'm not, I'm sure we can take down these stooges and rescue the princess. So you can quit hiding behind Chloe, Palo."

I glared at him. "Stop being mean to him, Taylor. This is a big deal."

He snorted. "Deal smeal. I'm not afraid and neither should you guys."

"I-I'm not scared. I just don't want anything to happen to us." Palo defended.

"Ah, nothing's gonna happen to us. Besides, we've got Captain Owen and his crew protecting us. They won't let anything happen to us."

For all of our sake, I hope Taylor's right.

Within a few minutes time, our ship came within range of Captain Cook's ship.

"Steady as she goes Bo." Owen told him. "Get ready."

We waited for the first blow.

Palo's grip grew tighter on my arm.

"It's gonna be okay." I assured him.

As we grew closer, nothing happened. Not one cannon was fired.

"So far so good." Owen announced.

Soon enough we were directly next to Captain Cook's ship.

Captain Owen looked at me. "You were right Chloe. Good job."

I smiled back.

This was going to be good. Hopefully we can make a deal with Cook and his crew to rescue the princess.

A pirate from Cook's ship leaned over the side of the ship. The pirate had light green hair and wore a pair of red rimmed glasses. The strange thing was, she looked like Phoebe from the general store. "State your business Sailor!" she shouted.

Owen leaned over the side. "We've come to negotiate a deal with your captain. May we speak with him?"

Phoebe stared at us for a second and then she looked over her shoulder. "Get the plank you scallywags!"

Two pirates ran out onto the deck to grab the plank of wood and stretched it over to our ship.

"Come on out Cook! I know you're over there!" Owen shouted.

Phoebe stood on the plank and made her way over to us. "The captain will be here shortly. For now, you've got us to deal with."

Owen raised a brow. "Us?"

The other two pirates jumped on the plank and followed Phoebe to our side.

One was really muscular and wore an Indiana Jones hat; I think it was Calvin.

The other one was muscular too and wore a fiery bandanna; now I'm pretty sure that was supposed to be Luke.

"Argh! What do you scallywags want?" Calvin asked.

Kathy stepped forward. "We've come to negotiate a deal for the princess."

Luke laughed. "A deal? That's a good joke."

I glared at him. "It's not a joke! We want the princess back!" I shouted.

The three enemy pirates started down at me. "Argh! And who might these little kids be?" Luke asked.

Taylor growled. "We're not little and we're not kids!"

I took a step towards the enemy. "We're pirates and we're here to kick your butts!"

Palo's grip on my arm tightened. "Chloe, don't say that to them." he whispered.

Luke crossed his arms. "You should listen to your friend, Squirt."

I shook off Palo and stomped over to them. "The name is Chloe!"

Their eyes widened in shock and they slowly grew smirks on their faces.

"Oh, so you're Chloe. Hmm...the captain has told us about you." Calvin said.

"Yeah, he said that you were pretty important." Phoebe agreed.

Luke took a step forward. "And since you're pretty important, maybe we should take you along with us."

My eyes grew about the size of quarters as I stepped away from them. Okay, now I was scared.

"Stay away from our new crew mates!" Kathy shouted.

"Kathy's right; you're not here for our crew, you're here to negotiate a deal for the princess." Owen growled.

The three pirates smirked.

"You know, I don't think the captain needs to come over here now." Phoebe announced.

"Yeah, I think we've got this under control." Calvin agreed.

Luke raised his hand. "Open fire!"

As soon as he said those words we could hear cannons firing off behind them and suddenly small black orbs rained down on us.

What was strange about these so called 'cannon balls' was the fact that when they hit the ship, they exploded and shot water out; what were these, water balloons?

"We're under attack! Man your stations and fire!" Owen shouted.

Right after he said that, every crew member scrambled around the ship to get to their cannons, but I guess they looked like catapults.

Before I could run any further to reach one of them, I felt someone wrap an arm around my waist. "Oh no you don't; you're coming with us. The captain needs you." Luke sneered as he lifted me off of the ground.

"No! Put me down!" I screamed.

Taylor and Palo looked at Luke.

"Hey! Put her down!" Taylor shouted.

"Yeah! Let Chloe go!" Palo yelled.

Luke smirked and looked at his fellow crew mates. "Take these ones as well, we could use a few more shipmates."

Obeying his orders, Calvin picked up Taylor, who kicked and screamed his head off, while Phoebe hoisted Palo over her shoulder.

"Let's go." Phoebe told them.

As they began to make a run to their ship I began to beat on Luke's arms and started screaming. "Owen! Help!"

Owen looked over at me in shock. "Chloe!"

But before he could try to help me a 'cannon ball' hit him straight in the chest.

"No!" I screamed as Owen fell to the ground.

Luke smirked at him. "Ha! Take that!"

"Captain Owen!" I yelled.

Owen didn't move a muscle.

Calvin laughed. "Ha! Looks like the great and powerful Captain Owen isn't so great anymore."

Phoebe laughed with him. "Yeah, looks like we've won again."

"Come on maties, let's get these new prisoners over to our ship." Luke announced.

Palo began to struggle. "Put us down!"

Taylor followed suit and began to struggle. "Yeah! Let us go!"

The evil pirates continued to walk across the plank to their ship through the barrage of flying cannon balls.

I continued to fight back against Luke as I stared at Owen's body as it still lay on the deck of the ship. "Owen! Wake up!"

Luke laughed at my attempts. "Quit your screaming Squirt. It's not like he's gonna get up after a shot like that. Besides, I think you'll like Captain Cook more than that Captain Owen."

As soon as we were aboard the enemy's ship the plank was lifted.

"Hoist the anchors maties! We've got what we've needed!" Luke announced.

Within seconds the ship began to move away from Captain Owen's ship and out to sea. As we pulled away I could see some of the crew mates lying on the deck of the ship.

'They can't be dead.' I told myself. 'They just can't.'

Before we knew it, we were already a long ways away from the ship. I stared at the boat as it disappeared in the distance.

Luke put me down and then he tied my hands behind my back. "Sorry to do this to you, squirt. But we can't have you trying to run away."

I looked over the side of the ship at the ocean water.

'Well we couldn't run away even if I wanted to; I can't swim in that deep ocean.'

Then I looked over to my right to see Taylor and Palo both with their hands tied too.

"I"m scared, Chloe." Palo whispered so the other pirates couldn't hear us.

Taylor laughed. "Ha! I'm not scared. I can take that Captain Cook any day, any time. He doesn't scare me"

Palo looked at him confusingly. "But you haven't even seen what he looks like. How do you know if you're not scared?"

He laughed again. "Ha! I'm not afraid of anything. Simple as that."

Phoebe came over and tugged on Taylor's shirt collar, stopping Taylor's laughter. "Quiet you! The captain is coming on deck."

Luke walked out to the middle of the ship. "All hands on deck! The captain is coming on deck!

As we waited for the captain to show up, more evil pirates showed up.

Just like when we were on Captain Owen's ship, there were crew members that looked exactly like people from town.

"So why did you bring these landlubbers aboard our ship? They are obviously the enemy; I mean, who dresses like that?" a snooty pirate who looked like Julius sneered.

Another pirate, who looked like Maya, bounded over to us. "Well they may not look like us; but I think they're so cute! I could just eat them up!"

Palo shrunk behind me.

A pink haired pirate laughed. "Ha! Don't worry kid, Maya won't eat you; let alone cook you. She can't even cook a decent meal for any of us." she laughed.

Julius slapped her in the back of the head. "Knock it off, Luna! You're not here to upset Maya."

Luna pouted. "Well you know it's true. You even said it yourself the other day after you were done puking out your guts. You said her cooking tasted like-mmff!"

Julius covered her mouth before Luna could finish. "I told you to never tell anyone about that!"

Luna managed to move his hand. "Oops...I guess I forgot. That's for trying to get rid of Miss Bun Bun."

Julius growled. "You little-"

"Enough!" Luke shouted, cutting off the two from going any further with their fight. "That's enough of your arguing. If you don't cut it out right this instant I'll tell the captain and he'll make the both of you walk the plank!"

Both pirates shrunk away in fear.

I couldn't help but snicker. I didn't know pirates argued over that sort of stuff.

Just then a white haired pirate stumbled over to us. "Captain! Oh Captain!" he yelled.

Luke caught him by the back of the shirt. "Would you knock it off Toby? The captain isn't even here yet."

"Then where is he? I wanna tell him that I was the one who shot him in the chest!" Toby nearly squealed with excitement.

Luke laughed sarcastically. "Oh yeah? Who did you shoot?"

"Captain Owen! I got him straight in the chest!"

Luke stopped laughing and stared at Toby. "That was you?

Toby nodded his head excitedly.

My eyes widened in horror. "You monster! How could you do that?!" I screamed, trying to lunge at him.

Calvin grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back. "That's enough kid."

Toby laughed. "It's my job matie. I take out the bad guy and then I don't have to walk the plank if I fail."

Taylor began to struggle. "They're not the bad guys! You creeps are!"

Phoebe held onto him. "Hey, settle down kid!"

Taylor looked at her. "Oh yeah? Who's gonna stop me?"

Suddenly the door in front of us shot open, banging the wall loudly. "That would be me." a figure spoke as he stepped out of the shadows.

As he stepped into the light we could see his long blood red captain's coat with his matching hat that had a black feather in it. Under the hat I could see the peach blonde hair sticking out. I definitely could tell who that was.

Taylor began snickering. "Chase? Ha ha! Chase is Captain Cook? Wow, that makes so much sense now. He's a cook and the captain's name is Cook."

As Taylor continued to laugh, Cook put his arms behind his back and began walking towards us slowly.

Palo nudged Taylor. "Taylor, I really think you should stop this." he whispered as he started into Cook's face, shaking with fear.

Taylor just snorted. "Oh come on, it's Chase. Chase isn't scary."

"Taylor, I think Palo is right. You need to stop."

He just kept laughing at us. "Aww come on you scaredy cats. You're really scared of Chase? Ha! He can't do anything to us! What's he gonna do-ah!" Taylor was cut short as Captain Cook grabbed him by the back of his shirt and lifted him off of the ground.

Captain Cook started at Taylor maliciously. "So, you must be the little trouble maker in this trio." Taylor stared back at him. "You really think that since I"m a chef, I'm gonna just go soft on you matie." He inched his face towards Taylor's. "Well I'm not."

Then he looked towards the crew. "Make him walk the plank."

Taylor's face turned pale white. "No..."

Cook smirked at him. "Yes."

Being true to his word, he lowered Taylor and then pushed him to Julius and Toby, who led Taylor to a wooden plank that hung over the side of the boat.

As they lifted Taylor onto the plank, Taylor began to panic. "No! No! Please! Don't make me do this!"

Cook shrugged. "Sorry matie. You dared to laugh at me and now you must pay the price."

Taylor was pushed out a little farther onto the plank. "No! Please! I can't swim out there! It's too deep! Please stop!" he begged.

Cook laughed at his despair. "Now you're afraid of me? Well let's see if we can scare you a bit more." he said as he gave Taylor another push.

Taylor stumbled a little but tried to hold his ground.

Palo gripped my arm and hid his face into my shoulder. "I can't watch."

My stomach began to sink as I watched Taylor struggle to stay on the plank. I had to do something or Taylor was gonna be sleeping with the fish tonight.

As Taylor began to take a step back, his back was met by Cook's hand. "Oh no matie, there's no turning back now. It's time for your afternoon swim with the fish." Cook told Taylor was he prepared to shove him off to his doom. "Have a nice swim."

"STOP!" I screamed, causing everyone to freeze.

Captain Cook turned his head towards me. "Stop? You dare tell me to stop?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Yes."

The Captain held onto Taylor's shirt as he turned completely around to look at me. "Why should I stop?"

I kept my head held high as I stared back at him. "He's my friend and I'm not gonna let anyone hurt any of my friends."

He put one hand on his hip. "Are you now matie?"

I nodded my head.

Captain Cook sighed and then he pulled Taylor back onto the ship. "You're lucky matie, but don't try to mess with me again, got it?"

Taylor nodded furiously.

Then he let Taylor go, who ran over to us and hid behind my back.

"Are you okay?" Palo asked him.

Taylor shook like a leaf. "Y-yeah. Thanks Chloe."

"No problem."

Then we turned our attention to Captain Cook, who was walking towards us very slowly. "You seem very brave, even when you're staring at danger in the face. You also seem to be braver than the other two boys in your trio. So who are you?"

"My name is Chloe."

As he drew closer I could see a smirk grow on his face. "Well well well, little miss Chloe. I've heard all about you. The famous pirate explorer of Waffle Island. I've been expecting you."

"Why?" I asked, staying close to my friends.

The evil captain laughed. "Why? Isn't it obvious; I need amazing crew mates to help me sail the ocean and to rule the sea. I need to rob every ship and to dig up every treasure to become the most powerful pirate in the whole ocean. And to do that...well, that's where you come in." he said as he stopped right in front of me. "So what do you say Chloe? Will you and your friends join my crew and become the greatest pirates that ever sailed the seas?"

I blinked my eyes at him. "I say you're crazy." I responded.

His smirk widened. "Crazy huh? How am I crazy?" he mused.

"Well for starters, you automatically think that we'll say yes to your offer. Then you think that we want power and riches beyond our wildest dreams; which we don't." I took a step towards the enemy. "And most importantly, do you really think that we'd ever join your crew after what you did to Captain Owen and his crew? It's your fault that Captain Owen is dead!"

That comment made the Captain raise his eyebrows. "I killed Owen? Ha! That Captain is alive as the day itself."

Toby began to jump up and down with excitement. "Oh! Oh! Not anymore Captain. I shot him right in the chest!""

Cook looked at the excited shipmate. "Did you now?"

"Yes sir, I got him. He's dead for sure."

I growled under my breath and tried to lunge at him again. "You are a monster!"

Before I could grab onto Toby I felt Captain Cook hold me back. "Whoa, slow down there matie. We don't need anymore violence at the moment." Then he looked at Toby. "Excellent work Toby; you've make us all proud."

Calvin began to snicker. "Yeah, looks like you won't be thrown into the ocean today."

Phoebe laughed along with him. "Yeah, since you walk the plank every day because you mess up."

Cook growled under his breath. "Enough!" he shouted, halting the crew member's laughter. Then he looked at Toby. "You've done great Toby; this makes up for all of your mistakes."

Toby gave the captain a goofy smile. "Thank you Captain. Does that mean I'm being promoted?"

Cook returned a sneer. "No."

Toby's face fell. "Oh."

Then the captain straightened himself up. "Now, back to important matters." His gaze fell on us. "Now Miss Chloe, I know that Toby shot Owen, but it was his duty. Captain Owen was preventing us from reaching our goal of becoming the most powerful pirate crew on the ocean. With him out of the way now, we can carry out our goal." He smiled at us. "And if you three join our crew, you can be just like us; powerful, rich. And able to crush anyone who gets in our way." Then he held his hand out to me. "So what do you say? Will you join our crew?"

I stared at it and then met the captain's violet colored eyes. "Thanks, but no thanks. Like I've said before, 'you're crazy'. You really think that we'd ever join you? You've gotten rid of our crew and you've kidnapped us, thinking that we'll join you and your rotten crew. We will never join you. Right guys?" I asked my friends.

Palo nodded. "Right."

Taylor shook all over, but was able to stutter out a 'right'.

Cook's expression went from a smile to a scowl. "Fine, so be it." He looked at his crew. "Lock these prisoners up and set sail for our next destination."

The crew all nodded. "Yes Captain."

Then the Captain's cold eyes met mine as he leaned down to me. "It will give you some time to reconsider my offer before you all walk the plank." He turned to Luke. "Lock them up with the girl."

Luke nodded. "Aye Captain."

Captain Cook looked at me one more time before spinning off his heel and walking away.

Luke grabbed my shoulders. "All right Squirt, let's go."

Calvin and Phoebe grabbed Taylor and Palo as they followed Luke into the ship.

We were led down a small hallway until they stopped us in front of a small door on the left.

I could feel the ropes around my wrists loosen. "You won't be needing these if you're in here; the door's locked anyways." Luke explained as he untied my hands.

Once we were free Luke opened the door and pushed us all inside. "Now you maties are gonna stay here until the captain gives the order to let you out. So no funny business."

With those last words he shut the door behind us, locking us in the small room.

Taylor sighed. "Now what?"

Palo shrugged. "I guess we wait until we're ready to plunge to our deaths."

"Now hold on guys, we don't know that for sure." I told them.

Taylor threw his hands up. "He practically told us up front that we're walking the plank if we don't join his crew. And since we're never joining his crew, we're gonna die!"

Palo groaned. "I don't wanna die."

"That's it man, game over!" Taylor shouted, quoting lines from that movie 'Aliens'.

Yeah, I know it's not the kind of movie for kids to watch; but Owen didn't seem to shoo me out of the room when he was watching it. I actually liked it, despite of all the scary scenes and bloody deaths.

I rolled my eyes. "The game is far from over. We just need to think of a plan or somehow to escape."

"But you heard Luke; the door's locked." Taylor pointed out.

Oh man, I forgot.

"Now what?" I asked them, knowing that neither of them knew the answer either.

Maybe Taylor was right; maybe the game is over.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" a small voice asked from behind us.

We all turned around to find a girl dressed in a light green dress and who also wore a little tiarra on the top of her short brown hair. She looked so beautiful as she stepped out of her hiding spot behind the small bed at the back of the room.

"Wow." Palo whispered in awe.

Taylor stared at her in shock. "A-Ayame?"

The girl looked at us confusingly. "How do you know my name?"

I took a step towards her. "You're Princess Ayame, the princess of Waffle Island, aren't you?"

She nodded in reply.

"We were sent to rescue you. Captain Owen sent us."

Her eyes widened. "Captain Owen? My goodness, it seems that my prayers were answered." She responded with a smile. "Captain Owen is a ledgendary captain who's defeated some of the greatest pirates in the world. I can see why my father has hired him to help rescue me." Then she looked out the porthole window. "Where is his ship? There were a few explosions earlier. The battle must have ended with a winning triumph, seeing that you're here."

Taylor rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah…about that…"

Palo cleared his throat. "Our ship was attacked earlier and the crew…was shot down."

Her eyes widned in horror. "Wh-what?"

I guess it was my turn to break the news. "Captain Owen was hit in the chest…and it didn't look like he was getting up. We were taken prisoner by the enemy."

She stared at us without saying a word and then sat down on the little bed in the corner. Her shallow breathing was the only thing heard throughout the quiet prison. Then she burried her face in her hands and began to sob quietly.

I sat down next to her and rubbed her shoulder. "It's going to be okay, we'll get out of here; you'll see."

She lifted her head and looked at me. Then she hugged me close to her. "I hope you're right."

I hugged her back. "Yeah, I hope so too."

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><p><span><strong>Uh-oh! What's going to happen to Chloe and the others now? Will they give into Cook's demands? Or will they be sleeping with the fish tonight? Stay tuned for part 2 of this big adventure! I hope that you all enjoyed it! Remember, please review and message me! Thanks everyone!<strong>


	24. Chloe's Decision and Taylor's Wrath

**Hey everyone! Wow, I can't believe that I got this next one out within almost a week! That's awesome! And wow, I'm soooo glad that you guys liked part one of the pirate party. I was really worried that you guys wouldn't like it. *wipes forehead* Phew! That's a lot of relief! **

**Also I can't believe all of the reviews I got! I'm almost up to 80 reviews, you have no idea how that makes me feel! Thanks you guys! I love hearing all of your responses on what you thought of it! It made me extremely relieved to know that I didn't let any of you guys down. Oh, I wanna say thank you also to all of you who have recently added me to their favorites or put me on author alerts! I'm glad that I'm creating a story that all of you guys can enjoy! I really appreciate it!**

**Anyways, I hope that you all enjoy part 2 of Chloe's Birthday party! Things are gonna get intense! No lies! Please review and message me! I really want feedback on how I'm doing, if anything is wrong or I messed up so I can fix it. I want your honest opinions. I'm tying to improve myself on my writing and I hope that I can do that. Or if you don't wanna put it in a review, you can always private message me. I won't get mad, I promise. lol Hope you enjoy! Thanks guys!**

******NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC, Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.******

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><p><span><strong><strong><strong>Review Responses! Thanks you guys! <strong>****

******DiamondRainbows: Lols Well I'm glad I gave you that mental picture. ******

******ShermanTheWorm: Thanks! I'm going into the teaching field and I love to see how children react to stuff like that. So I had to think that I was one of the children, seeing real live pirates in front of me. And it was pretty interesting trying to make Chase into the crazy psychotic and evil captain. I love writing bad guy roles! lol ******

******CAPJHMPAgirl: Thanks! I loved writing that scene with Julius and Luna, I had to put some comedy into it. Especially if it involved those two!******

******joce hm lover: Awww You're welcome! I'm glad you liked it!******

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><p>It felt like hours had passed by as we sat around our small prison.<p>

Princess Ayame still held me close as we stayed in our spot on the edge of the bed.

As for Palo and Taylor; they both took a spot on the floor and pretty much made themselves comfortable. Palo lay flat on his back with his hands behind his head while Taylor lay on his stomach, swining his legs back and forth in the air.

"Okay, I spy with my little eye, something brown." Palo mused.

Taylor sighed. "The ceiling."

"Yep, you're turn."

"I spy something old and dirty."

Palo glanced around the room. "I don't know. Everything in this room is old and it's really dirty in here too."

Taylor reached behind his head, pulling off his shoe and his sock. "No, it's my old and stinky sock!" he yelled as he threw the sock at Palo's face.

Palo began to squirm and scream as he rolled around helplessly. "Ahhh! Get it off!"

Taylor laughed at Palo's misery.

I glared down at him. "That wasn't funny!"

Taylor continued to laugh. "Well it was for me."

"We're already going through enough trouble here as it is here. We don't need you to cause anymore."

"Hey relax, I'm just trying to lighten the mood. You guys are acting like a couple of worry warts."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm surprised that you're so happy, since you almost met your death a little while ago. Maybe I should just ask Captain cook to make you walk the plank again."

That got Taylor to shut up and look at me in horror. "You wouldn't."

I gave him a smirk. "You wanna try me? You know I'm not the one to mess with."

I've threatened Taylor before and I've actually gone through with most of those threats.

"O-okay okay. I'm sorry Palo." Taylor stuttered.

Palo, who finally got the sock off of his face, looked over at Taylor. "It's fine." He grumbled.

"Please, we must not fight. We need to focus on how to escape." Ayame pleaded.

Taylor raised a brow. "Oh yeah, and how do you think we should do, your highness?"

Before the princess could answer, the door burst open. We all turned our heads that way to see Luke standing in the doorway.

I shot him a glare. "What do you want?"

He crossed his arms, smirking. "Just making sure that you guys weren't going to escape."

Taylor rolled his eyes. "Well seeing that the door's locked and there's no other way out, how do you expect us to escape dummy."

Luke's smirked turned into a grimace. "Better watch what you say matie. Or do you need to walk the plank again."

Taylor's face turned pale.

The princess glared at him. "Leave these children alone."

Luke stepped into the room, closing the door behind him as he shot another smirk towards Ayame. "Ah, so now the princess is defending the little ones, how sweet." He laughed. "So I suppose that you're going to be begging for their freedom too."

Ayame let go of me and stood up. "They don't deserve this. Why punish them when they haven't done anything? It's me you wanted to take prisoner. If you need someone to walk the plank then take me instead."

All of our eyes widened in shock.

The princess wants to sacrifice herself for us; wow.

Luke shook his head. "Listen Princess, nobody is walking the plank."

Her face twisted in confusion. "What?"

Luke sighed in frustration as he looked at the door behind him and then back at us. "I'm not supposed to tell you, but we're not hurting anyone. We just threaten you guys to keep you all under control."

"But why?" she asked.

"Well if you guys were dead, then we won't get our ransom money. Besides we wouldn't hurt you and your little 'heroes' even if we could. The captain said it to me himself that none of you would have any harm done to you."

"So what happens when you get the ransom money?"

He shrugged. "We set you all free."

I raised an eyebrow. "That's it? After all of this you're just gonna let us go?"

"Well, yeah. What did you expect?"

Taylor stared at Luke. "Well, seeing that you guys tried to drown me! What did you expect us to expect?"

Palo looked over at him. "Uh…did that make any sense."

"Yeah it did!"

"Shut up!" I hissed at them.

The princess turned her attention back to Luke. "How do you know the captain is telling the truth?"

Luke let out a laugh. "I'm his first mate and he's been my best friend for years. He tells me everything and he's never lied to me."

She walked closer to him. "Why are you telling us this? You're the enemy, how can we trust you?"

His face turned red. "W-well, I wouldn't be telling you this now would I?"

I stood to my feet. "But you guys lied to us when you said you wanted the captain to speak with us; you attacked us instead."

"That was Captain Cook's orders. I just obeyed his wishes and carried them out for him."

The princess looked down at her feet. "Then why did you choose to tell us the truth?" she asked as she looked up at his eyes.

Luke's face grew redder than a tomato. "Uh…I…I-"

A knock at the door cut him off.

"Hey! Luke! The captain needs to see you on deck!" a voice shouted through the door.

"I…I'll be there in a minute." Luke responded.

As the footsteps faded away Luke straightened himself up. "Well, I'd better go. You all just stay put until the captain orders you to come on deck." He said as he opened the door.

The princess gave him a small smile. "Thank you for telling us."

Luke's face turned red again. "Uh…yeah. J-just don't tell the others alright?"

She nodded in reply. "Don't worry, we won't say a word, won't we?" she asked us.

We all agreed with her; none of us would say anything.

"Good." And with that Luke left us, looking the door again behind him.

Palo sighed. "Well at least we aren't going to die."

Taylor nodded in agreement.

The princess sighed as she walked back to the bed and sat down.

I plopped down next to her. "So…Princess…" I started.

"Yes?"

I twiddled my thumbs. "Why was Luke's face getting red? He looked like he did that a lot."

"Yeah, I saw that too." Taylor piped up.

"Me too." Palo squeaked.

The princess looked down at her hands that were folded in her lap. "Well…I…umm…" she stuttered quietly.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

She tilted her head up to look at us. "Well…" she began. "Over the last few days that I've been on this ship, I've gotten pretty close to Luke. We'd talk whenever he'd come to check on me or give me my meals. It's been very calming for me." She paused as she looked out the window. "I've never met anyone like him. He may be cruel and mean sometimes, but around me he can be very sweet and kind."

Taylor looked at her. "Do you like him or something?"

She looked down at her lap as she nodded.

Taylor's eyes widened. "You like the enemy?! Are you crazy?!"

The princess lowered her head in shame.

I glared at him. "Oh knock it off Taylor. There's nothing wrong with having feelings for the enemy. Besides, from the looks of it, I think Luke feels the same way about her."

Ayame lifted her head. "You really think so?"

I nodded. "I know so; I can tell. And I don't have a problem with it."

Palo nodded in agreement. "I don't have a problem with it either."

Then we both looked at Taylor, waiting for his…hopefully…changed response.

He crossed his arms angrily. "I don't like it…but I'll try to ignore it."

"Good." I responded back.

Ayame began to twiddle her thumbs. "I…I'm sorry if I sound inappropriate to say that I have feelings for the enemy."

I sat down beside her. "Hey, it's okay. So what if you're in love with the enemy? It's not a big deal."

She sighed. "But what happens after they let us go? I'll probably never see him again." She cried as she buried her face into her hands.

I hugged her arm. "You'll be fine. We can figure this whole situation out."

Taylor groaned. "Basically we have no idea what's going to happen to all of us. We don't know how to get out of here, we don't know what's really going to happen to us, and now we don't know if the princess is going to get together with the love of her life."

Ayame blushed at that comment.

Once again, I glared at Taylor. "Oh knock it off already Taylor! The last thing we need right now is your whining." I stood up and walked towards him slowly. "First of all, we are going to get out of here eventually. Second, Luke told us that they're going too set us free once they get the ransom money. And third…" I paused. "Well, we'll figure that out eventually. But for now, there's no need to start groaning about what are we are going to do. So for now, shut your trap!"

Taylor leaned back and raised his hands defensively. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Sheesh, you're really bossy today, Chloe."

I raised a brow. "So what if I am? At least I'm thinking better than you are in this situation."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever. So what are we going to do now?"

Before anyone could respond, there was a knock at the door.

Ayame cleared her throat. "C-come in."

The door opened, revealing the pirate who killed Captain Owen, Toby.

I glared at him. "What do you want?"

He gave us a goofy smile. "The captain is requesting your presence."

I pointed to myself. "Me?"

He nodded. "Right now; just you."

I swallowed hard. "Okay." I responded as I stated walking towards the door.

"Wait!" Ayame protested as she ran over to give me a hug. "Be safe and don't give in." She whispered in my ear.

"I will." I whispered back.

"Okay, enough with the hugging. Time to go." Toby commanded.

I reluctantly let go of Ayame and followed Toby outside.

"Don't give in Chloe!" Taylor shouted.

"Yeah, no matter what!" Palo yelled.

"I won't you guys. Stay safe!" I responded.

With those last few words shared, Toby slammed the door shut. "Come on Matie."

As much as I didn't want to follow the guy who killed my older cousin, I followed him out onto the deck of the ship. I was led to the front of the ship where Captain Cook stood, staring out at the sea.

"Ah, Chloe, how nice to see you again."

I snorted. "Yeah it's nice to see you too." I responded sarcastically.

"So have you given any more thought to my offer?"

"Yeah, and my answer is still 'no'."

He chuckled as he shook his head. "Chloe, sweet little Chloe. Why won't you see the side that's good of this situation?"

"What's the good side of joining the bad guys?"

"We aren't the bad guys here. Captain Owen is the bad guy; he's trying to take away our precious treasure."

"Yeah, the precious treasure that you stole."

He turned around to face me. "You're pretty quick to judge us as thieves."

I crossed my arms. "That's because it's true. You're a notorious pirate thief. Everyone knows who you are, Captain Cook."

He inhaled sharply. "That may be true. But Chloe, just think about all of the power you could have." He spoke as he walked towards me. "You, the greatest treasure hunter on Waffle Island joining the most powerful pirate crew on the seven seas."

I glared at him. "I'd never join you."

He circled around me slowly. "You say that now, but just think of the possibilities. You can have all the power to command every other ship in the ocean to obey your every command."

I shrugged. "I don't care about power."

"What about the gold; all of the gold you could ask for at your finger tips?"

"I'm not greedy."

He huffed out a sigh. "There isn't anything that you desire in the whole world?"

I shook my head. "Nope."

He stayed silent for a moment. But when he was in front of me again, a smirk slowly appeared. "What about your biggest dream?

I looked at him confusingly.

"That big childhood dream you've always had; to become a pirate."

I laughed at him. "I'm already a pirate. I was already sworn in by Captain Owen."

He rubbed his chin. "That must be true…but that was on Captain Owen's ship. And now he and his crew are dead. Without a crew, you are no longer a pirate."

My eyebrows rose at that comment. "That's not true, I'm still a pirate."

He laughed. "How long did you think that you were going to be a pirate for? A few hours or for the rest of the day before he would take you home? If you went back to that island where you live, then you would be the ordinary and boring little girl who lives in a Blacksmith's shop." He placed his arms behind his back as he walked closer to me. "There would be no more sailing, no more adventures, no more anything." He leaned in towards my face. "You would no longer have the dream that you always wanted. You'd be just plain old Chloe."

I cringed a little bit.

That hurt me a little.

My life wasn't that adventurous back home. I mean mining with Owen on rainy days and hanging out with my friends is fun…but out here on the ocean, I feel free. I'm finally enjoying myself. But what if Captain Cook was right? If I went back to Waffle Island…I wouldn't be a pirate anymore. I'd be the niece of a Blacksmith again.

Cook smirked at my puzzled expression. "But that doesn't have to end for you."

I stared up at him.

"If you were in my crew, you'd never have to go home. You could stay here."

My breathy caught in my throat as he leaned away from me. "W-what do you mean?"

His smirk widened. "You would never have to stop being a pirate. You could stay on this sihp and sail all over the world. You'd visit every port in the country and you'd never have to go back to your boring meaningless life ever again."

"I wouldn't?" I asked meekly.

He shook his head as he reaching into his pocket and pulled out a gold coin. "And this." He said as he held it out to me. "Would become yours.

I let him place the coin in my hand as I stared at it in awe. "Why would I get this for?" I asked as I rolled the coin around in my hand.

"Why it would be your payment. Every ship we encounter and every island we go ashore to, will have gold. We'll be rich!"

I looked up at him. "But I told you that I'm not greedy."

"Then don't worry about the money; just think about the freedom and the fact that you'll be a pirate. You'd never have to go home and go back to that boring old life back on that island ever again." He walked around me again. "Think about it Chloe. If you join my crew, you'll be a pirate forever."

I looked down at the coin in my hand. The sunlight caught on the coin, letting it shine a brighter gold color.

'Wow…to stay a pirate forever, that would be awesome! I'd never have to go back home.'

'Be safe and don't give in." Princess Ayame's voice echoed through my head.

"What do you say Chloe? Will you join my crew and become a real pirate?"

I met his eyes again.

As I stared at him I could hear my friends voices scream through my head.

'Don't give in Chloe!' Taylor's voice shouted.

'Yeah, no matter what!' Palo yelled.

I opened my mouth slowly. "I…I…"

"Yes?"

Suddenly the door burst open behind us.

"Captain Cook!" Luna shouted as she ran out on deck.

Captain Cook growled under his breath as he turned towards her. "What?"

"We caught the other prisoners trying to escape!"

Cook's eyes widened in surprise. "They were what?!"

Luna smirked. "Yeah, we caught them trying to escape through the secret door under the rug; but we got them."

Just then Taylor, Palo, and Ayame were pulled out on deck by the other crew members.

"Let go of me!" Taylor growled at Calvin as he tightened his grip on him.

Cook held his hands behind his back, chuckling as he walked over to them. "So you thought that you could escape from old Captain Cook, huh? Thought that you could get away and save yourselves from me and my crew."

"Of course we were you jerk!" Taylor growled.

Cook's eyes fell on Taylor. "Ah, the little rebel. Are you sure that you should be insulting me again, matie? After the punishment that you almost received earlier?"

Taylor continued to glare but he stopped struggling.

Then Captain Cook looked down at Palo. "So tell me matie, why were you trying to escape from old Captain Cook?"

Palo kept his mouth closed and tried to avoid Cook's eye contact.

"Not talking, matie? Well let's see if you'll explain if we scare you a little." Cook threatened as he grabbed Palo's arm and began to pull him towards the plank.

Palo's eyes widened in fear.

Then Taylor grabbed onto Cook's arm. "Let him go!"

"Oh? You want to go along too? Well why didn't you say so matie?" he responded as he began to pull Taylor along too.

"Hey! Let go!" Taylor yelled as he tried to pull away.

Cook ignored them as he continued to pull them towards the edge.

"Stop!" Princess Ayame shouted.

The captain stopped and looked at her. "Why? Why should I stop?"

"They're just children, they've done nothing to you."

He laughed at her. "They tried to invade my ship a few hours ago and they just tried to escape. So I think they need to do this."

"But it was my idea!" Ayame blurted out.

Cook narrowed his eyes at her. "You're idea?"

"My father told Captain Owen and his crew to invade your ship and then I told the boys about the secret door in the floor. If you want to blame anyone, blame me. Take me instead."

Cook stood there for a minute and then smirked. "Okay my dear, I think we can do that instead." He responded as he pushed the boys away and then grabbed her arm. Ayame winced as he began to pull her towards the plank.

Right before they reached the edge of the plank, Cook turned around to face me. "It's all on you now Chloe."

My eyes widened. "What?"

His smirk grew. "Join my crew and she lives, and your friends will be set free with her." Then his expression darkened. "If you refuse…you will all walk the plank; starting with the princess her." He threatened as he looked at Ayame.

My breathing grew shallow as I began to think.

Basically, my friend's lives and my own depended on my answer to join Captain Cook's crew, the evil pirate who killed my cousin and his crew. I really don't want to have to join the bad guys and I definitely don't wan to have my friends die. So what do I do?

"Don't do it Chloe!" Taylor yelled. "We'll be okay. Just don' t give in!"

"Yeah, if you go down, then we'll all go down together." Palo shouted.

I looked to my friends who were being held captive by the rest of the crew.

"It's you decision Chloe." Ayame's soft voice spoke.

I looked over at her worried expression as Captain Cook held her out towards the plank.

He continued to flash that evil smirk at me. "Well Miss Chloe? What is your answer?"

As I stared at all of the scared and evil expressions around me I continued to think.

'If I join the bad pirates, my friends go free. If I don't, we all over overboard. Oh man, why me? But wait…Luke said that they wouldn't really hurt us; they needed us for the ransom money. So even if I said no, they wouldn't hurt us. Everybody would be okay.'

I slowly opened my mouth. "No."

Cook's smirk disappeared. "What?"

I shook off my nervousness and straightened up. "No, I won't join your crew. I don't care what you do to us. You can make us walk the plank a million times and my answer would still be 'no'. I'm not joining the people who threaten my friends." Then I pointed right at him. "You are the meanest and cruelest pirate to ever saidl the seven seas and you don't deserve to be Captain of anything! You just deserve to walk the plank and get eaten by sharks yourself!"

"Ohhh! Burn!" Taylor added to my speech.

Cook stood there silently, taking in everything I said.

What was he gonna say?

After a few seconds passed by he finally spoke. "Wow…that was so…so powerful. I'm…impressed on your sense for standing up for yourself. You would have made an amazing pirate."

I gave him a small smile. 'Well at least I know that I'd make an amazing pirate.'

Then he shot that evil smirk at me. "But too bad now." Then he looked over at Ayame. "Looks like you're walking the plank first, my dear." He sneered at her as he pushed her out onto the plank.

Ayame stumbled but held her ground.

Then Cook gave her a small push. "Get walking Princess, we don't have all day."

Ayame froze. "I…I cant."

Cook sighed. "You don't want me to push you off myself, do you?"

She shook her head.

He smirked. "Okay, then keep walking." He said as he gave her another push, almost sending her off the edge.

I gasped out loud. 'Why isn't she coming back like Taylor did? I thought none of use were to get hurt.'

Before Ayame took another step towards the edge of the plank she quickly turned around and tried to come back.

Cook stopped onto the plank in front of her. "Ah-ah-ah…the end is that way; you're not coming back here."

"Please, let me come back."

He shook his head. "Sorry, but rules are rules; now go." He spoke as he tried to push her back again.

"Stop!" someone yelled, causing everyone to freeze.

I whirled round to find Luke standing at the front of the crew.

Captain Cook raised an eyebrow. "First mate Luke, why are you telling me to stop?"

Luke took a deep breath. "You said that nobody would get hurt. You told me that when we came ashore, you'd collect the ransom money and let them go. Why are you suddenly trying to kill them?"

"Yeah you weren't supposed to hurt us." Taylor added.

"Yeah." Palo agreed.

Cook looked at them. "Who told you?"

Neither of them responded.

"Who?!" he roared at them, causing them to back up as he walked towards them.

"I did." Luke responded.

Cook's head turned slowly towards him. "You?" he growled as he changed direction and walked over to Luke. "You're one of the greatest shipmates I've ever had. You're feared by everyone in your path and you've become one of the most powerful pirates to ever sail the seas. You hold all of that power…and how do you use it? You tell the prisoners that they won't be killed and you act as if you're with them. Why Luke?" He asked as he leaned in closer to Luke's face. "Why?!"

Luke stayed silent for awhile and then he opened his mouth. "I…I…"

"You what? Spit it out matie!"

Luke looked right at Cook and then took a deep breath. "I love her."

My eyes widened in surprise.

Cook was stunned. "Y-you what?!"

"I love her!" Luke shouted back.

The ship erupted with gasps and pure silence as they all stared at Luke in shock.

Well it's all out in the open now; Luke is in love with Princess Ayame. Awkward.

"Dun dun Duuunnnnnnn!" Taylor sang dramatically, breaking the silence.

Palo hit his arm. "Shh! You're not making this any better for anyone." He hissed.

I rolled my eyes. 'Typical Taylor; what a way to break the silence.'

Cook held his hands behind his back. "You love her? Ha! That's it…you love her." He said as he walked around Luke slowly. "You couldn't possibly be in love with her. You've only known her for a few days and you've only spoken to her a few times. How is it that you're in love?"

Everyone stared at Luke, waiting for his reply.

"I…I just feel different when with her. When I'm with all of you guys, I'm a pirate who loves the sea and all of the power that comes with it. But when I'm with her…" he spoke as he looked at Ayame who stared at him from her spot on the plank. "I'm not…me. I can talk to her about anything and I can act as if I'm not a pirate. She's sweet, funny, and caring. Also she is willing to put herself in the way for the sake of others. I don't know of anyone else who would do that for a bunch of kids that she just met." He paused. "I know I haven't known her for very long…but I'm willing to get to know her for the rest of my life, because she is the woman I want to protect and the woman I care about."

I smiled at his response. 'Awww…that's so sweet; a little cheesy, but sweet'

Ayame placed her hand over her heart and began to cry softly. "Oh Luke, I love you too."

Luke smiled at her.

'Well at least we know Luke feels the same way about her.'

Someone began to clap slowly.

Everyone turned their attention towards Captain Cook who had a large smirk on his face as he clapped. "How sweet, a forbidden romance; a pirate and a princess, how cute." Then his clapping stopped. "Too bad it will never happen." He spoke as he walked towards the plank. Suddenly he pulled out a sword from his side and pointed it at Ayame, who gasped as she took a step backwards. "Not as long as you're still here; so get walking."

Luke took a step towards him. "Cook, stop this. She's done nothing wrong here. Why are you trying to kill her and the others?"

Cook began to laugh. "You know what the problem is here Luke?" he spoke as he pointed the sword in Luke's direction. "You've gone soft. You've changed so much over the last few days, ever since she was kidnapped. I knew this day would come." Then he paused. "I swore that if anything caused one of my crewmates to go soft or to get them to quit my crew." His face turned slowly towards us. "Was to destroy it." He responded darkly.

Ayame's eyes widened in horror.

Luke glared at him. "No! You can't do this!" he shouted as he ran at him.

"Restrain him!" Cook shouted to the crew.

Luke was suddenly held back by Calvin and Julius. "Let go of me!"

Then Cook turned his attention towards Ayame again.

'No…I can't let this happen.' Without a second thought, I ran at Cook. "Stop this! Don't do this! I'll join your crew! Just please stop this!" I screamed as I grabbed onto his coat.

He looked down at me. "I'm sorry my dear Chloe, you had your chance and you're too late." Then he looked at Ayame. "Say your good-byes to your beloved pirate." He spoke as he jabbed the sword in her direction.

Ayame screamed as she took another step back.

My breath caught in my throat.

She was just balancing on the edge. Her eyes began to water. "Please! Stop this!"

Cook smirked at her one last time before he pushed the sword farther towards her, causing her to lose her balance and tumble over the edge, screaming.

"Noooo!" Luke yelled as he struggled to be released.

I could hear a really high pitched scream and realized that it was my own.

She was gone.

Cook lowered his sword and turned back to Luke, who was hanging his head. "Well that takes care of that problem."

My mouth quivered. "You killed her…no…no this isn't happening."

Cook patted my head. "I'm afraid that it's true." He said as he grabbed my shoulder and pulled me towards Luke.

He stayed silent as we approached.

"Aw stop it with the depressing expression, matie. I was doing you a favor; it needed to be done."

Luke drew in a shallow breath. "You…you killed her. How could you do this to me and think of this as some sort of favor?" He lifted his face. "Why? Why did you do this?"

The captain smirked. "Luke, you are my most loyal and trustworthy friend on this entire ship. With you as my right hand man, we would run this crew with an iron fist, as Captain and first mate. But I never imagined that you would go behind my back and fall in love with an enemy."

"But why couldn't you have just let her go free? You didn't have to kill her?"

Cook shook his head. "Luke, if we ever docked at a port somewhere, you would have tried to get away from the ship and then go off to find her. You'd leave us."

Luke glared at him. "And I'd be perfectly happy with that."

Cook's eyes widened in surprise.

"You don't care about anyone but yourself. All you care about it being the captain of this ship and keeping your reputation of being feared by everyone. Also your obsession for power and treasure is overpowering you. Ever since we became a crew, it's all gone to your head. It's all you ever care about. If anyone has changed on this ship, it's you."

Cook stared at Luke for a minute before he opened his mouth.

But before he could say anything, Luke spoke up. "Captain Cook."

He growled under his breath. "What?"

"I think we have a problem."

Cook rolled his eyes. "It better be a bigger problem than what's going on here." He growled as he looked at Luna, who's face was filled with horror.

"Uh…there was no splash."

Cook's glare disappeared. "What?"

"There was no splash." She repeated.

My face twisted in confusion. 'Splash? What is she talking about?'

Cook pulled me towards the plank and glanced over the side of the ship. "No, it's not possible." He spoke.

"What is it Captain?" Julius asked.

"Yeah, what's wrong? What do you keep talking about a splash?" Calvin agreed.

Cook whirled his head around to look at his crew. "She didn't fall in the water."

Everyone was silent.

"What do you mean she didn't fall in the water?" Toby asked.

Cook strolled towards Toby. "Well my young friend, when one falls into the water, they tend to make a splash."

Toby nodded his head, as if he was taking in the captain's explanation.

"So tell me, why didn't I hear a splash?"

Toby stopped nodding. "Uh…I don't know sir."

"Of course you don't know! I don't even know! How could she have survived that?! It's impossible to not crash into the water! So somebody explain how she didn't crash into the ocean like she was supposed to?!" he yelled at the crew.

Even I was confused; how could that be possible?

While the crew just looked at each other for answers, someone cleared their throat, catching everyone's attention. "I think I can explain that."

My stomach jumped.

Standing at the other end of the ship was Ayame. She didn't have a scratch on her and she wasn't soaking wet either. Was she a ghost?

Cook was stunned. "How…how are you-"

Ayame smirked. "Or better than that." she spoke as she looked over her shoulder at the end of the ship. "Maybe he can explain it."

Then from over the side of the ship a hand appeared and up rose another 'ghost'.

I gasped.

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><p><strong>Gasp! Who is it? Ayame is alive, Cook is freaking out, and Taylor is being...well Taylor. lols I loved writing Taylor's little outbursts during the tense moments. I mean if I was in that situation, it would be pretty hard to not say anything like that. haha <strong>

**Anyways, I'm gonna try to get part 3 out soon; I don't wanna leave all of you guys hanging for sooo long. But I will warn you ahead of time, it's the last 2 weeks of school and that means finals are coming soon. I'm starting to get stressed because I just got my hero research essay back from my teacher (I sent it in to see if it needed changes), and basically it was so bad that I might have to rewrite the entire thing...and it's 9 to 12 pages...and the second draft is due Tuesday. Also I have a math test soon and I suck at math, trust me. So yeah, I'm under a bit of pressure. But nevertheless I'm gonna try to get this next chapter edited for all of you. Sorry if I ranted...I just felt like I needed to get all of that frustration out...I'm really sorry.**

**Anyways, away from all of that...I hope that you all enjoyed this new chapter! I'll try to have part 3 out soon! Please review and message me! I really wanna hear what you think. Please! Thanks everyone!**


	25. Yo-Ho-Ho A Pirate's Life For Me

**Hey everyone! Finally! I finished Part 3 of Chloe's Birthday Party! Sheesh...this whole birthday party scene took over 2 years to write...I'm not kidding. Actually the inspiration for this chapter was from an idea someone at my high school had. He and his friends were gonna dress up like pirates, get a big truck and designed it like a ship, and then they were gonna drive all around Wal-Mart while playing music from 'Pirates of the Caribbean' as they fought each other with swords. Unfortunately it didn't go through...but it was still a hilarious idea.**

**Anyways I can't believe the amount of reviews, favorites, alerts and views. The numbers were so high this month! I was sooo excited to get all of these alerts from you guys! Thank you sooo much guys! Keep them up! I love hearing your funny reviews and comments! They always make me laugh! ****I also love hearing your feedback, it definitely helps me out! I honestly thought that you guys wouldn't like the whole pirate thing, but I guess I was wrong lols. That was quite a shocker for me. I hope that you all enjoy reading the conclusion to Chloe's birthday party! Please review and message me! Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.**

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><p><span><strong>Review Responses: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys are amazing! I love hearing your thoughts! All of your responces made me smile. I'm glad that you liked the last chapter! I hope that you'll enjoy the next one!<strong>

**CAPJHMPAgirl: Aww it is a really sweet romance to write. I love those kinds of stories where two different kinds of people (especially enemies) can find love. I know it was cheesy but I thought it would make more sense to a bunch of kids. I loved writing the funny sarcasm that Chloe says, she's kind of like Ayame. That's why she likes her so much; they're almost alike. **

**ShermanTheWorm: Hahahaha they're my favorite parts to write! Taylor is hilarious to work with! He's like the annoying little brother that you have to laugh at when he acts that way. Awwwww that's soooo cute! I love those things that you believe when you're younger. I used to pretend that I was a pirate that went on adventures all the time. It's a fun thing to imagine! You'll just have to wait and see. ;)**

**Jocie hm lover: Indeed they are, love those moments! Aww the cute little pretty eyes!**

**CrazedAuthor17: Awwww! THANK YOU! There now I'm screaming too lols. I'm glad that you loved it! Ah the cliffhangers…you gotta love em! **

**DiamondRainbows: Lols Trust me…it took forever to write…ugh…2 years of writing…hardest chapter I've written so far. That and the chapter where Gill tells what happened to him and Luke. But hey, it's a challenge for me. XD**

**Guest: Not gonna say….but maaaaaaybeeeee lols**

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><p>"Captain Owen?! You're alive!"<p>

He smiled as he hopped onto the deck. "That I am, Chloe."

By now Cook was just spitting out random words. "But…how…you…what…I…" Then he whirled his head towards Toby, who was pale as a ghost. "You said you killed him!"

Toby began to tremble. "I did!"

"Then why is he standing here at this moment and he's perfectly unharmed?!"

Toby began to panic. "I-I don't know! I shot him right in the chest and he fell!"

Then to lighten the tension, Owen began to laugh. "He did shoot me in the chest, but I survived it."

Cook narrowed his eyes. "How?"

Owen shrugged. "Not really sure; maybe it was a miracle."

"Then how did you get here?"

Owen smiled. "Well since my ship was almost destroyed, we all got one of the smaller life boats and sailed out after your ship."

Cook raised an eyebrow. "We?"

As soon as Cook asked that, the rest of Captain Owen's crew climbed over the side. Everyone was alive and none of them were injured; I guess it is a miracle.

Owen smirked. "You see, as we grew closer towards your ship we could see the princess standing near the plank. So we hid underneath the plank and waited for her to fall where we caught her before she could hit the water. And here we are." He said as he gestured towards the crew.

"So how is this gonna go Captain Cook? Are you going to surrender quietly or is this going to get ugly?"

A large smirk appeared on Cook's face. "Surrender? Ha! You must be joking!"

"Does it look like I'm laughing?"

Cook laughed. "You know, I've wanted to meet you for some time. I've heard all about you; the brave captain who has defeated some of the biggest criminals to ever sail the seven seas. A captain who works with some of the greatest rulers in every port. And who has one of the greatest shipmates ever." He explained as he walked around them, pulling me along.

Owen smirked. "You've done your research, I'm impressed."

"Thank you." Suddenly Cook stopped pacing. "But there is…one little detail that you've managed to keep hidden from the world, and probably from your very own crew."

That comment caused Captain Owen to drop his smirk. "And what would that be?"

Cook's smirk widened. "You became captain of this crew about…oh…five years ago, am I right?"

"Yes."

"So…what exactly were you doing before you became a captain?"

Owen's body tensed for a second and then relaxed as he answered. "I said the seas with another crew."

Cook nodded slowly. "Mm-hm, and what did your crew do out on the ocean?"

Kathy took a step forward. "What does this have to do with anything? What does it matter if Captain Owen was with another crew? We're not interested in what he did in the past. We're more interested in taking you guys out."

Cook smirked at her. "All in good time, my dear. All in good time."

Owen looked at Kathy and gestured her to move back.

She listened to his words and rejoined the rest of her crew.

"So I ask again, what were you doing out on the ocean with your old crew, Captain?"

"We imported cargo to other ports."

Cook nodded. "Yes, but that was just your 'cover', wasn't it? You were really smuggling jewels and other valuable items for other ships, weren't you?"  
>The whole crew stood there in shock, staring at Owen, who stood there with a serious, but reluctant look.<p>

"Oh yes, you were part of the infamous Captain Black's crew."

"The Captain Black?!" Bo exclaimed.

"The famous smuggler?" Anissa asked.

Even Cook's crew looked shocked.

"Is he serious?" Phoebe asked.

"But I thought that he was dead?" Toby said.

Cook glanced over at him. "For once, you're right Toby. About five years ago Black's ship mysteriously sank to the bottom of the ocean, killing everyone on board. Or so we thought." Cook's expression turned darker as he continued. "It turns out that one crew member was able to survive the incident and was able to swim back to port on part of the wreckage." He paused as he stared down Captain Owen. "And he's standing right there…Captain Owen Black, son of Captain Black himself."

The ship erupted with gasps.

"You're so called 'Captain Owen' is really the son of one of the most infamous smugglers of the whole seven seas."

The whole crew stared at Captain Owen in shock.

Kathy looked heartbroken. "Captain…is this true?"

Owen lowered his head slightly. "Yes, it's true." Then he looked back at his crew. "My father was the infamous smuggler that you all know. I was raised on his ship and was his first mate when I became old enough. But when our ship was attacked my father was able to tell me to save myself and to star at crew of my own, whether if I wanted to continue smuggling or not, it was my choice. So I was able to swim back to port and began to assemble a crew. A crew that was going to do good instead of bad."

His crew stared at him with blank expressions. "If any of you wish to leave the crew, I wouldn't blame you. I've lied to all of you for years…I don't deserve to be your captain." He said as he turned away from them.

Then Kathy stepped forward. "Of course you deserve to be captain."

Owen looked back at her.

"So what if you're the son of Captain Black; you are nothing like him. He was a smuggler and you aren't. You've completely changed and you've stopped smuggling. And you've done so much good in the last few years." She waked closer to him. "I'll stand with you."

Then she looked back at the rest of the crew. "What about you guys?"

Bo took a step forward. "I don't care either; you're our captain and you'll always be our captain. I stand with your guys too."

"And me." Renee spoke.

"And me." Anissa agreed.

"Me t-too." Candace stuttered.

"We all stand with you Captain Owen." Said Jin.

Ayame smiled at Owen. "I'll even forgive you too."

"We do do Captain Owen!" Taylor and Palo shouted.

Owen smiled at everyone. "Thanks everyone." Then his gaze fell on Cook. "You see Cook, even my own crew still stands by me after finding out the truth. So do you think that you'll surrender now?"

Cook pondered for a moment. "Well that does sound tempting, but I never surrender." Then he looked around at his crew. "And neither do we, right maties?"

His crew cheered in agreement.

Owen smirked. "Well we're always ready for battle. Right maties?"

"Yeah!" they shouted.  
>"So make your move Cook."<p>

Cook smirked. "Oh I will." And with those words, he yanked me towards him and held his sword to my neck.

Everyone held their breath as they stared in horror at us.

Owen's breathing grew shallow as well as my own. "Let her go."

Cook gave him an innocent look. "But if I did that, then this wouldn't be any fun for me anymore."

"She's not involved with this; this is between me and you."

"And my crew and your crew. And this little one is part of your crew, is she not?"

I glared up at him. "I'm not little!"

His grip tightened. "Quiet you!" he hissed.

Owen stared Cook down. "This doesn't need to get ugly. Just let Chloe go."

Cook smirked. "No, I don't think so. As long as I have her captive, you won't attack. You could never do that to your precious little crew mate. Besides, she belongs with my crew. We'll treat her better than you and your crew ever will. She doesn't need to be led by the son of a criminal."

That did it.

With all of my might I managed to stomp my foot very hard on Cook's foot. Cook screamed in pain and I could feel his grip loosen. Ripping away from him I ran to Captain Owen's side. I smirked at his pain. "There's just one problems with that, I don't want to be led by a pirate who is a criminal himself." I told him.

While Cook was still in pain, it was Owen's turn to lead. "Charge!" he shouted to his crew.

With those final words the battle between good and evil was on. Swords clashed and punches flew. I tried to stand away from the battle so I could try and find Palo and Taylor. I mean I'd really love to join in, but I had to make sure my best friends were fine.

"Chloe!" I heard Taylor shout.

I looked in the direction of his voice to see him running towards me. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Where's Palo?"

"I thought he was you."

"He was, but when we broke free we went in opposite directions."

"Well where is-"

"Take that!"

We both swung around to find Palo kicking Calvin in the shin.

"Ouch! You little brat!" Calvin shouted as he held his foot, dropping his sword in the process.

Palo scooped it up. "Ah ha!"

Calvin dropped his foot and held up his hands. "Easy matie! Take it easy."

"Who's the weak pirate now?"

Calvin didn't respond as he reluctantly took a few steps back.

"Alright Palo!" Taylor shouted.

I punched my fist into the air. "Whoo-hoo! Go Palo!"

Palo glanced over his shoulder and his brave expression turned into horror. "Look out! Behind you!"

We both looked behind us to see Phoebe holding her sword above her head. As she brought her sword down, Taylor and I managed to roll away in opposite directions before she could slice us right down the middle. She glared at Taylor. "Stay still you!"

Taylor stuck his tongue out at her and took off running with Phoebe close on his tail.

"Chloe!" a voice shouted.

I turned around to see Princess Ayame making her way through the battlefield. "Princess!"

She ran to my side and hugged me tightly. "Thank goodness I found you, are you okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I can't believe that's you're alive!"

She smiled. "I know, I thought I was dead for sure. If it weren't for Captain Owen and his crew, I'd probably be at the bottom of the sea for sure."

"And that's where you'll be in just a few moments." A voice interrupted beside us.

We both turn out attention to the evil pirate, Toby, standing above us.

He gave us a lazy smirk. "Sorry to ruin your little 'reunion', but I think it's time to repay my debt to Captain Cook for letting Owen live." He spoke as he held his sword above hi head. "Say goodbye!"

Ayame and I clutched onto each other as we waited for the final blow. But before it was over for us, someone came out of nowhere and knocked Toby out of the way, knocking him out in the process. "Good-bye." The figure spoke as he looked at Toby. Then he looked back at us with a smile.

Ayame stood up, smiling and hugged her savior. "Luke!" she squealed.

Luke wrapped his arms around her in the process. "Oh Ayame, I'm so glad that you're okay. I was afraid that I lost the only woman that I loved."

She pulled back to stare into his eyes. "I know, I'm so happy that Owen was there to catch me." She placed a hand on his face. "Oh Luke, I'm still shocked that you confessed your feelings like that and resigned from your crew. You didn't have to do that for me."

He smiled softly. "I didn't have to, I wanted to. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever met and it's true that I'm in love with you. I'm willing to leave the crew just to be with you. I love you, Ayame."

Her eyes began to water. "I love you too, Luke."

With that, they kissed.

I smiled at them. 'Aww…that's too sweet.'

When they pulled away, Luke looked down at me. "I'm sorry for putting you and your friends through all of that. I didn't think that Cook would take it this far, will you forgive me?"

I pondered for a second and then nodded my head in response. "Yes, I forgive you."

Luke smiled. "Thanks Squirt." Then he began to look at the battle going on around us. "How do you think all of this will end? What will happen to me?" He met her eyes. "To us?"

Ayame sighed. "I don't know, since you were just part of Cook's crew, you might be arrested." Her eyes began to water. "I don't want to lose you like that."

I cleared my throat before Ayame could cry. "But you resigned from his crew; technically, you're not a bad guy anymore. I'm sure Captain Owen and his crew will understand."

Luke sighed. "I hope you're right. But if worse comes to worse, I'll be willing to run away with you."

Ayame wiped her tears away and smiled. "And I'll be willing to do the same."

"Not if I can help it!" a voice erupted behind us.

We spun around just in time to see Cook raising his sword above his head. Before he could bring it down onto Ayame, another sword clashed with his own. Cook stared in shock as Luke stood there holding the other sword. "Stay away from her. This is between you and me now."

Cook smirked. "Fine."

Luke shoved him away from Ayame and began their battle.

Ayame hugged me close.

"Go Luke!" I shouted. "Kick his butt!"

Ayame smiled. "Come on Luke! You can do it!"

Luke blocked Cook from cutting him in the knee. "You're not gonna win this Cook."

"Humph! We'll see about that."

Then Cook clashed with Luke until they were almost chest to chest. "You think you can just defeat me and walk away from us? Ha! They'll never accept you, even after you said that you quit my crew, you'll still be known as the evil notorious pirate Luke. You'll be shunned by everyone."

Luke's eyes narrowed. "You're wrong! Chloe forgave me after I captured her and her friends. And Ayame forgave me too. She's forgiven me for everything I've done and she's confessed her love for me. Even if I'm shunned by everyone else, she'll still be by my side as we sail off together."

Cook smirked. "Hmm…you say that now, but what happens if I win?"

Luke struggled to keep his balance as Cook tried to push him back.

"You'll lose your life, you'll put Chloe and the other's lives in jeopardy, and most importantly," he leaned in closer towards Luke's face. "You'll be handing over Ayame's life to me. Because you know exactly what I'll do when she's back on that plank. Oh and don't worry, I'll do it nice and quick; she won't feel a thing as I push her off to her watery grave. And it will be all your fault."

Suddenly Luke snapped and with all of his might, he shoved Cook back a few feet. "You won't lay a finger on her! That watery grave will be your own!" he screamed as he charge at him with his sword held high.

Cook blocked him and pushed himself away from Luke.

"Chloe!" a voice shouted.

I looked over my shoulder to see Palo and Taylor running towards us, holding little swords in their hands.

"Oh man, thank goodness that you guys are okay. Where are Phoebe and Calvin at?" I asked, noticing that the two evil pirates weren't fighting them anymore.

"We had some held capturing them and defeating them." Taylor responded as he looked over his shoulder to see Kathy and Bo running towards us.

"Are you guys okay?" Kathy asked.

Ayame and I nodded. "Thanks to Luke." I responded as I looked at Luke and Cook's fight.

"But isn't he Cook's first mate?" Bo asked.

"He was, but he's renounced his title and quit the crew." I explained.

"But why would I do that?" Kathy asked.

"Because he's in love with me." Ayame spoke as she continued to watch the battle.

Kathy and Bo's eyes grew the size of quarters.

"Wow, didn't see that one coming." Bo responded.

"Yeah, that's crazy." Kathy agreed.

I looked up at them. "You aren't gonna arrest him are you? I mean, technically, he's on our side."

Kathy sighed. "Well that may be true, but-"

"Please don't arrest me! I can't bare to see him in prison. He saved my life and saved the children from being thrown off the ship. He stood up for us and I know he's good. Please, please don't arrest him." Ayame begged.

Kathy looked at her solemnly. "I'm not sure what will happen, but I'll try to talk to Captain Owen about it."

Ayame sighed in relief. "Thank you."

Suddenly Palo gasped. "Oh no!"

We turned our attention back to the battle to find Luke on the ground staring up at Captain Cook, who smirked right back.

"What was it you were saying about beating me? How I'm not going to hurt your little friends and…oh what was it? Oh yes, push your little girlfriend off the plank."

Luke glared up at him.

"Humph! I guess I was wrong about you."

"Wrong about what?" Luke sneered.

"I thought that you had great potential when I let you join my crew. I thought that you were strong, cunning, and brave; but I was wrong. You're just another pathetic weakling."

Luke growled as he tried to get back up, but fell backwards when Cook's sword got closer to his chest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, remember who has the sword now." Cook reminded him.

I growled under my breath. "Hey! Leave him alone!"

Cook stopped and then looked towards me. "Oh yeah, my dear? Who's gonna stop me?"

"That would be me." A voice spoke behind him.

Cook slowly turned his head to meet face to face with a sword, held by Captain Owen.

He smirked. "So Cook, how does it feel to be defeated by your greatest enemy?"

Cook laughed dryly. "Defeated? Ha! It's not over yet."

While Cook had his back turned, Luke quickly grabbed his fallen sword and knocked Cook's sword out of his hand. "Oh I think it is over."

Cook looked down at Luke in disbelief. "Impossible."

"Oh it's possible. Now surrender Cook, it's all over now."

Cook held up his hands in surrender. "Fine, I surrender." He growled.

All of us cheered with excitement. We had won! Captain Cook and his crew had lost and we have saved the day! Along with Luke's help that is.

Owen looked towards his crew. "Bo and Jin, help me lock this scoundrel in the brig with the others."

Bo and Jin nodded in response as they walked over and grabbed each of Cook's arms.

As he was being led away, Ayame ran over to Luke as he was getting to his feet and threw her arms around him. "Luke, thank goodness you're okay."

Luke hugged her. "I'm glad that you're okay too. I'll never let Cook or anyone else ever hurt you."

Ayame smiled as she hugged him tighter.

"Ahem!"

They both let go of each other to face Captain Owen.

"Captain Owen, please don't arrest Luke. I know that he worked for Captain Cook, but he's changed. He's already resigned from his crew and he's quitting piracy. Please!" Ayame pleaded.

Owen rubbed his chin, pondering. "Well you did do that and you did held rescue the princess…"

I looked up at Owen. "Please Captain, don't send him to jail."

Owen hesitated. "Well…I-"

"Look out!" Taylor shouted, causing everyone to pause.

Suddenly everything seemed to travel in slow motion as we turned our heads to see Cook breaking loose from Bo and Jin, drawing his sword as he charged towards Luke and Ayame. Luke quickly drew his sword and blocked Cook from hurting Ayame. As Luke held Cook back he growled at him. "Stay away from her!" he shouted as he pushed Cook away.

Cook stumbled but then charged at Luke. Luke stopped his sword and pushed against him.

"You're not gonna win this you traitor! You're going down for treason! You'll die alone and you'll always be a traitor!" Cook shouted in his face.

Luke growled. "No! It will be you!" He shoved him back harder, making his back hit the side of the ship. Luke walked towards him pointing the sword right at him.

Cook smirked at him. "Go ahead, kill me. Kill the only person who taught you everything and took you in when you had nobody. You would betray your family for a girl and our greatest enemy?"

Luke stood there, staring at his ex captain.

"What are you waiting for? Do it already."

Taking in a sharp breath, Luke lowered his sword and took a step back. "No."

Cook raised a brow. "No?"

"I'm not gonna kill you, not like this. You aren't worth it even though you've put us through all of this. And you call us a 'family'? A dysfunctional family is the better description. Ever since you became obsessed with power and greed, you've changed and I don't thin you'll ever become the captain that I met when I first joined." Then he glanced over his shoulder with a small smile. "Besides, I'm not alone. I've got a few people who accept me for who I am. I've got Chloe and I've got Ayame; they both have forgiven me and they trust me."

I smiled back at him, knowing he was definitely on his side.

His expression turned serious again as he looked back at Cook, who had not moved from his spot. "It's gonna be you who's gonna be all alone. You'll lose everyone who's ever tried to respect your authority and none of them will want to stick up for you anymore. That's how you will go out; alone. We're done."

With that Luke spun on his heel and walked away.

Cook gritted his teeth with rage as he stood up straight, tightening his grip on his sword.

"Luke!" I screamed out, knowing exactly what Cook was gonna do.

Luke whirled around and stopped Cook's blow again.

'Geez, does this guy ever give up?'

"I will not be defeated by some weak-less traitor!" Cook shouted commencing another fight.

Taylor leaned over. "Wow, how awesome is this? Five epic battles in one day; this is the best day ever!"

Palo looked over at him. "Yeah, it's awesome and all, but how do you think it's all gonna end?"

I gave them a small smile. "Luke is strong. I believe he can defeat Captain Cook."

Palo and Taylor nodded in agreement.

I pumped my fist into the air. "Go Luke! You can do this!"

"Whoo! Go Luke!" Palo shouted.

"Yeah! Take him down!" Taylor whooped.

Luke smirked at Cook who was staggering back. "Ya hear that Cook? That's the sound of my new family cheering me on! You're gonna lose Cook!"

Cook growled. "No I won't!" he screamed as he charged at Luke.

As the two clashed into each other, they both suddenly froze.

Cook stared at us in horror as his face turned pale. He let out a strangled moan as he pulled back from Luke. My stomach churned as I saw a sword sticking out of Cook's jacket. He pulled it out slowly and dropped it onto the deck; it was slightly colored red. Then he quickly unbuttoned his captain's coat and pulled it open.

We all gasped as we discovered that Cook's clean white undershirt was now covered in crimson red blood.

"Whoa." I awed.

Cook's breathing grew shallow as he stared at his injury. "N-no…i-it…can't be." He whispered as he stumbled backwards towards the edge of the ship; specifically where the plank was. "H-how could I lose…to you?" he asked as he looked directly at Luke. "How?!" he strained out.

Luke stared back at him, not saying a word.

Cook stepped onto the plank and moved backwards. "This is impossible…I never lose…how did this happen?"

Luke didn't respond.

Cook was losing patience. "Say something you scalawag!"

Luke held his head up high. "Never underestimate a pirate."

With those last few words, Cook met the end of the plank and fell backwards to his watery grave. A splash echoed throughout the ship.  
>Luke stared at the plank, motionless.<p>

Ayame slowly walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's over."

Luke glanced over at her and pulled her into a hug.

I smiled. Ayame was right; it was over and we had won the war.

They looked towards us and smiled.

Suddenly the entire crew burst into cheers of victory. We had defeated the evil Captain Cook and his crew and we even saved Princess Ayame. Also, I think we gained another crew member.

Captain Owen walked over to the new couple. "Well, I don't know what to say. You have definitely proved yourself worthy to us and you've also gained forgiveness from your friends. But the question now is, what to do with you now?"

I looked up at him, hoping that he wouldn't arrest Luke after everything he has done.

He smiled. "How would you like to join my crew?"

Luke's eyes widened. "Really?"

Owen nodded. "With your skills, I could definitely use you in my crew. So what do you say?"

Luke smiled. "What do you think? Of course I'll join!" he yelled as he shook Owen's outstretched hand.

The crew cheered with excitement.

Ayame kissed Luke and held him close. "Thank you Captain Owen."

Owen nodded in response and then he looked towards the crew. "Argh! Where do we set course for now maties?"

Kathy smiled. "Set course back home to Waffle Island!"

The crew cheered in agreement.

"Wait!" Luke shouted, halting everyone's movement. "I just remembered." He said as he pulled out an old piece of paper out of his pocket. "Captain Cook buried his treasure somewhere on Waffle Island."

Captain Owen took it from Luke and opened it up. "Maties, are you up for a treasure hunt?"

* * *

><p>Within an hour we finally reached the Waffle Island docks.<p>

"Land ho!" Owen shouted to the crew. "Lower the plank!"

Bo and Jin grabbed a hold of the plank and lowered it until it touched the dock's surface.

Captain Owen looked down at me. "Are you ready to find some treasure?"

I grinned up at him. "Yeah!"

He placed a hand on my shoulder and led me off the ship.

'Ah it feels good to be back on solid land.'

Taylor ran off the ship and fell to his knees. "Land! Glorious land! I missed you!"

I rolled my eyes at him. 'What a drama queen.'

Palo walked over to him and tapped his spiky blonde hair. "Knock it off Taylor, we've got treasure to find."

Taylor stood up and glared at him. "Fine."

Eventually the rest of the crew joined us and waited for Owen's orders.

"Okay maties, according to the map, we need to go to the right for about one hundred paces." He announced as he started walking in the direction the map instructed.

We passed the 'On the Hook' bait shop and walked along the long beach.

"Ninety eight, ninety nine, one hundred!" Owen announced as he stopped suddenly. "Here it is! 'X' marks the spot!"

I glanced around Owen's side to find a big 'X' mark drawn in the sand. "Wow! There's really treasure buried here!"

Owen smiled. "You're right Chloe. And now you and your friends have the honor in digging out the treasure." He said as he motioned Bo and Kathy to present us with three small shovels.

Taylor took a shovel and stared at it in awe. "Whoa! This is gonna be so cool!"

Palo smiled as he received his shovel. "Yeah, I hope we can find it."

I took my shovel and looked at Owen. "Can we start?"

Owen nodded. "Yes! Start digging maties!"

With those words we began frantically digging through the sand. Even though the sand was hard to do, I was too excited to even care.  
>Suddenly all of our shovels hit something hard. We all looked at each other with excitement and then dropped to our knees to begin using our hands to dig the rest of the way.<p>

Finally we uncovered a large wooden treasure chest.

"Whoa!" he all shouted with awe.

"We found it!" I yelled as we pulled it out of the hole and at it in front of the crew.

Kathy smiled. "Well what are you waiting for? Open it!"

On the count of three we all pushed the lid open. Inside of the chest were dozens of coins and jewels that shined brightly in the sunlight. On top of everything lay three brightly colored packages. Each of them had our names written on them.

Taylor grabbed the red package and pulled the paper off, revealing a toy sword and an eye patch. "Awesome!" he yelled as he put the eye patch over his left eye.

Palo picked up the green one and gently opened it to find a red bandanna with white spots all over it and a sword for himself. "This is cool!" he said as he tied the bandanna over his baseball hat.

I looked down at the bright yellow present with my name written on it in big letter. I pulled it out of the chest and felt for an opening. As soon as I found a place to start I began to pull the paper off. My eyes widened as I stared down at a dark navy blue captain's hat and a sword that had my name engraved into the handle.

This was the best thing ever!

"Wow!" Palo exclaimed.

"That's awesome Chloe! Put it on!" Taylor told me.

I took the hat out of the paper and put it on my head. "How do I look?"

Taylor and Palo gave me a thumbs up.

I stood to my feet and held my sword up high. "Argh maties! Shiver me timbers and a yo-ho-ho!"

The whole crew and my friends laughed and cheered for me.

Taylor stood to his feet and held up his sword. "Argh! I be Taylor, the roughest and toughest pirate that ever sailed the seven seas!"

Then Palo stood and thrust his sword into the air. "Argh! I'm Palo! The bravest pirate in the whole ocean!"

The rest of the crew cheered for them.

I looked over at my friends. "I can't believe it, we're real pirates!"

They smiled back.

"Could this day get any better?"

"Oh it will Chloe." A voice announced behind me.

I turned around to find the entire crew, including Cook's crew, standing together in a huge group. They all had suspicious expressions on their faces.

"What's going on here?"

Kathy smiled. "Well this day is gonna be even better for you."

"So we have one more surprise for you." Bo added.

The entire crew parted down the middle to reveal Captain Owen standing in front of something.

"Captain Owen?"

He smiled and stepped off to the side to reveal a large cake with candles all over it. "Happy Birthday Chloe."

My eyes widened and my mouth dropped. 'My birthday? Oh my gosh! I forgot my own birthday was today! I guess I was so excited about this entire pirate quest, that I forgot what today was. This day just got even better.'

I walked up to the cake to look at it. It was a giant cake that was painted just like a treasure chest and it had ten candles surrounding the words 'Happy 10th Birthday Chloe'.

My smile couldn't get any bigger than it could right now. I can't believe everyone did this for me.

I looked behind me to see everyone watching me, even Palo and Taylor were smiling. "Oh my gosh! Did you guys do all of this for me?"

Owen nodded. "Yeah we did."

"We all wanted your tenth birthday to be the best one ever; one that you'd never forget." Kathy added.

"So we all worked together to create this awesome party for you." Bo said with a smile.

"And we were in on it too, Chloe." Palo admitted.

I looked over at Palo and Taylor. "You guys too?"

"Yeah, your cousin asked the both of us if we wanted to help out and of course we said 'yes'." Taylor responded.

I smiled at everyone around me. "Thanks for everything you guys. This is the best day ever!"

Luke wrapped and arm around Ayame. "Well we can't take all of the credit. Ayame was the one who came up with this whole idea."

My eyebrows rose as I looked at Ayame as she smiled back at me. "You did all of this?"

She nodded. "I just wanted you to have the best birthday ever and I remembered that you wanted to be a pirate when you grew up so I wanted your dream to come true today."

I broke into a run at her and hugged her tightly. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you Ayame!"

She laughed as she hugged back. "You're welcome Chloe. I'm glad you liked it."

"Hey Chloe! Come on and blow out the candles already, I want some cake!" Taylor shouted.

I let go of Ayame and glared at him. "Okay okay, keep your shirt on."

Palo snickered as Taylor tugged down his t-shirt.

I couldn't help but laugh at Taylor too. 'He is such a dunce.'

I made my way over to the table where my cake sat, ready to have the candles blown out.

"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Chloe. Happy birthday to you." Everyone sang.

I smiled at all of them. "Thanks everyone."

Owen laughed. "Don't forget to make a wish and blow out the candles."

"Okay Owen."

I closed my eyes and began to think. 'What should I wish for? My biggest wish already came true. I actually got to be a pirate for a day. What more could I wish for? I pretty much had everything I could ask for already.' Finally a thought came to my mind and then I quickly blew out the candles. Everyone cheered for me as I was able to blow out all ten candles.

Owen patted me on the shoulder. "What did you wish for?"

I zipped my lips with a pretend zipper. "If I tell you then my wish won't come true."

Owen laughed. "Yeah, I guess that's true."

"Can we have cake now?" Taylor whined.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, you'd better give Taylor a piece of cake before he has a heart attack."

Owen nodded to me and pulled out a knife to begin cutting the cake.

Palo smiled. "Well besides Taylor's whining, what did you think of your birthday party?"

I gave him a big smile. "It was the best birthday ever! I loved everything and this day couldn't get any better than this!"

"You're wrong!" a voice yelled out.

Everyone turned their attention towards the shoreline.

My eyes widened in shock and my mouth dropped.

Standing there, soaking wet, was Captain Cook himself.

'How is he still alive? I thought he fell off the ship; I mean there was a splash that time. Also he was stabbed in the side. How is that possible?'

"What are you doing here Cook? Come to steal the treasure back?" Owen asked as he handed Taylor his piece of cake and pulled out his sword.

"Argh! You bet I am. And I'm gonna fight till it's mine to claim."

"Well you'll have to fight us all to get to it." Owen gestured to his crew.

Cook held up his hand. "I don't wanna fight any of you scalawags. I wanna fight her." He said as his finger pointed towards me. Me?! "I never got to fight the great Chloe while we were on my ship. So what do you say Chloe? Will you accept my challenge?"

I stared back at him, trying to decide.

"Come on Chloe! You can take him!" Palo encouraged.

Taylor, who was stuffing his face full of cake, nodded his head furiously.

When I faced Cook again I shot him a smirk and gripped my sword. "For once, I'm actually gonna say 'yes' to your offer."

Cook smirked back. "I was hoping you'd say that."

As I walked towards him I began to think back to my wish. I don't really think it will come completely true but I can still look back on this day and believe that every day will be like this. I can still be a pirate forever.

I smiled to myself as I held my sword up.

This is it; my time has come to finally fight like a pirate.

I pulled my captain's hat down and smirked. "You ready to lose Captain Cook?"

Cook laughed. "Not a chance." He said as he held up his sword towards me. "Have at thee demon!" he shouted as he charged.

This was gonna be good.

**~ End of Chloe's P.O.V. ~**

Kathy groaned next to me. "I told him not to say that line. I told him." She looked at me. "Didn't you hear me tell him?"

I laughed softly. "Yeah, I heard you; but I don't think Chloe will mind at all." I responded as I continued to watch Chloe fight 'Captain Cook'.

Palo was jumping up and down, whooping and hollering for Chloe. "Go Chloe!"

Taylor, who was eating his cake, joined in cheering for Chloe too. "Mmf-can-mmf-do it!" he tried to yell with a mouthful of cake.

I laughed at them.

I was still kind of shocked how they were able to play along with all of the directions I gave them when I was alone with them. They were naturals at it.  
>Julius looked over at me. "You know Ayame, I really liked how you used that ruined shirt for the stabbing scene. For once, I'm actually not mad that it was ruined by paint."<p>

I smiled. "Thanks Julius."

Luke slid an arm around my shoulders. "See? My girl is a genius. She definitely knows what she's doing."

I smiled and kissed him. "Aw thanks Babe. I'm just glad that Chloe liked it."

Owen smiled and laughed. "Of course she liked it! You let her live her dream and she's never been so happy. Thanks a lot Ayame."

"Aw you're welcome Owen. I'm glad to help."

Luke laughed. "Yeah, but it's too bad that we didn't get to see you play the damsel in distress."

Owen glared at him. "What?"

"Yeah, remember the other day when we talked about your hourglass like figure being in a dress. No offense Ayame, but I think Owen would have looked so pretty in that dress."

I rolled my eyes and snickered. "Surrrre. Don't think I'm gonna be so nice to you when we get home, you can forget about staying for dinner."

Suddenly Luke's face was covered in brown and gold icing.

My eyes widened as I stared at Owen, who's hand was covered in icing. He had scooped up some icing from Chloe's cake and threw it at Luke.

Kathy gasped. "Owen!"

Luke blinked at him and then scooped up some icing. "So it's gonna be like that huh?" he asked as he wound up his arm, ready to throw.

But as that ball of icing went flying, Owen ducked out of the way and the icing hit Bo in the face.

Bo wiped the residue off and then grabbed some cake. "Oh you're gonna get it!" he yelled as he chucked it at him and it actually hit me this time.

Everything stopped. Everyone's eyes were on me. Even Chloe and Chase stopped fighting.

Despite my thoughts about ruining Chloe's cake, I picked up some cake and threw it at Bo.

Suddenly it erupted into a huge cake fight. Pieces of cake and icing were flying in all directions.

Julius screamed in agony. "My work! It's ruined! Those stains will never come out!"

Suddenly his face was impaled with a clump of icing. Well at least that got him to shut up.

Palo laughed as he grabbed some cake and threw it at Taylor. "Take that!"

Taylor dropped his cake in the sand and growled at Palo. "My cake! Nobody destroys my cake and gets away with it!" he shouted as he grabbed the rest of his fallen cake and threw it back at Palo.

Chloe ran past me and threw a handful of cake in my face. "I got you!"

I threw some back at her. "Oh yeah? Take this!" I was able to hit her in the chest.

She laughed at me. "Thanks for everything Ayame! This is the best birthday ever!"

I smiled at her. "Even for the cake fight?"

She laughed. "Of course! I've always wanted to have a food fight! This is awesome!"

Then Taylor threw a clump of icing at Chloe. "Ha ha!"

Chloe smirked and then chased after him. "You're gonna get it Taylor!"

I laughed at the people around me.

I felt like I was responsible for bringing everyone together like this. It really felt rewarding to accomplish all of this. This indeed was the best day ever.

In the distance I could hear a horn being blown. Captain Pascal's boat was coming back into port. Looks like he made it back safely from his trip.

At the end of ship I could someone standing at the front.

'I wonder who that could be?'

I could see the figure waving at me, so I thought it would be nice to wave back.

My thoughts were interrupted when someone grabbed me from behind, spinning me around.

Luke was completely covered in frosting and cake bits.

I laughed. "Nice look."

"Same goes for you. Doesn't this remind you of the spaghetti fight we had?"

I nodded. "Or the mud fight we had awhile back?"

He laughed. "Yeah, and as I recall it ended with this." He responded as he pulled me into a sweet and passionate kiss.

I kissed back, tasting the flavors of chocolate and butter-cream. 'Well at least the cake is good. This day couldn't get any better than this. I wonder what will happen next for me?'

**~ Unknown P.O.V. ~**

I smiled as we neared the island. 'This is it.'

I can't wait any longer. I've been waiting for this for too long now.

Can't we just speed this boat up a little more? Come on, come on. I just wanna get there already!

"Excuse me, Miss?"

I turned around to see the captain of the ship standing behind me. "We are just about to arrive at Waffle Island. Be sure to be ready to go ashore."

'Finally.' I nodded to him. "I will. Thanks for letting me know."

He smiled as he removed the pipe from his mouth and went back into the ship.

I turned my attention back to the place where I was gonna start my new life. 'I hope I'll meet a lot of new people here; hopefully, I'll even meet a cute guy.'

The guys from where I came from weren't attractive enough and they weren't the kind of guys that I would go for. Maybe this place has better guys. 'Oh well I guess I'll just have to find out for myself.'

The captain blew the boat horn to let us know that we were nearing the docks.

The island looked beautiful from where I was standing. Large green fields, dozens of trees, and a few houses scattered along the white sandy beaches of the island. 'Yep, this is definitely gonna be a nice place to live.'

In the far distance I could see a group of people running along the beach. 'Wonder what's going on over there?'

One of the islanders stopped and stared straight towards the boat.

'Well at least someone noticed that I've arrived.' I lifted my arm up and began waving frantically.

The figure waved back before they were tackled by another islander.

'Whoa, talk about crazy people. I hope none of these people come after me like that. The last thing I need is to be tackled by some stranger. I don't wanna have to move back to my crappy life back home. This is my home now and I intend on staying here.'

The boat slowly started to creep along the water as we neared the island.

I smirked as we grew closer and closer to the dock. "Waffle Island, here I come."

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><p><strong>Weren't expecting that were you? I had to end this chapter with a cliffhanger, thought it could be a nice shocker for you guys lol. I'm currently writing the next chapter as we speak (since I write before I type and edit them on here). It may be a little longer than usual because finals are next week…ugh…I don't wanna take them. But I have to so I can try and get my associate's degree in teaching next year. But on the bright side, next week is my last week of school until August! Yays! Anyways I'll try to get the next chapter out soon…I hope. I'll have all summer to work on this story and I hope to get really far since I'm finally done writing Chloe's birthday party. I'm on a pretty good roll right now (lols Call me butter, cause I'm on a roll! Sorry couldn't resist a cheesy pun!) and it sounds like I should have a few chapters written soon! I hope that all of you guys have a great last few weeks you guys that are still in school! Summer is coming, just think about that! Lols Please review and message me! Thanks again guys! <strong>


	26. Wise Words Lead to Surprises

**Hey everyone! Wow I can't believe it's summer already! School is out for me and I couldn't be any happier about that! Good news, I got all B's on my final grades, especially the math grade; I still have absolutely no idea how I pulled that off but I did! Yays! Now that school is out, I can finally focus on writing more of the story! I'm sorry that it's taken me awhile to post, you see I write all of the story down in a notebook and then I type and edit them before I publish. You didn't think that I typed all of that in one go…that would be insane for me XD. Anyways I really worked hard on this one so that I could start the summer off on a really good chapter, trust me, it's a good one if I don't say myself. Lol**

**On my random funny notes that I post sometimes, lols, this upcoming Friday and Saturday I'm going to be going to an anime convention for the first time! I'm sooooo excited! I get to meet the voices from Black Butler, Full Metal Alchemist, Ouran High School Host Club, and many others (for those of you who know anime! XD) It's gonna be sooo cool! Also on another note, I've recently gotten into Doctor Who and I'd have to say that I'm slowly becoming a Whovian (for those of you who don't know what that is, it's a HUGE fan of Doctor Who). Anyways, I've been watching that while I write and it's pretty awesome! I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try it! I love it! However, I'm just found out that the actor who plays the current Doctor is retiring after the 50th anniversary special and the Christmas special… :'( Now I'm sad…but hopefully they'll find someone good to fill the role of the Doctor. It's a great show and I hope that it continues to entertain all of the awesome fans out there. XD**

**Now back to the story before I continue to get off subject…Holy crap! I can't believe how many people reviewed, alerted, faved , and messaged lately! I'm almost to 100 reviews! Squee! I can't believe that it's almost there! You guys are amazing, you have no idea how happy all of you guys make me when you talk about your thoughts on this story! I love hearing what you all have to say, it really helps me out when writing. You guys motivate me to continue on and I hope to continue on making you all happy. Don't hesitate to review, PM, or anything else. I love hearing what you all have to say! Keep it up!**

**Anyways, I really hope that you all enjoy this new chapter! To make all of you Gill fans happy, he makes a P.O.V. appearance! Yays! I bet a lot of you guys were missing his sissy prissy attitude. Well don't be sad any longer, he is here! XD Sorry I couldn't resist. Please review or message me! Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC Ayame. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.**

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><p><strong>Review Responses: Wow I can't believe how many reviews came in this time! I'm glad that you liked the Pirate Party, I was really worried that you guys wouldn't like it, but I'm glad to hear that you guys enjoyed it! I love all of you guys and I hope to be hearing more from you soon! Thanks guys!<strong>

**ShermanTheWorm: Thank you! I'm really glad that you liked it! Oh it was hard, trust me. I had to put cute moments in! XD They're fun to write! You'll find out soon!**

**StrawberryGirlKairi: Thanks! *singy song voice* You'll just have to find out!**

**Jocie hm lover: Hahaha I can definitely you can tell that you don't like Selena. Well you'll just have to wait to see what that crazy girl will do next. ;)**

**CrazedAuthor17: Indeed, I completely agree with you on that. XD Aww thank you! And I love the 'dramatic pause' haha**

**ElitePeach64: Thanks! It was hard to work on, but I'm glad that I'm past it. I still love the Taylor parts. XD That's actually a pretty good idea; however, I'm not revealing the mystery person, that would ruin it. But I loved your guess!**

**DiamondRainbows: haha I'm sorry that it was soo long for you, but glad that you liked the drama.**

**CAPJHMPAgirl: Aww thanks hun! I'm glad that they're done and over with. Good luck with yours too! The cake fight was actually a last minute thought, but that was exactly what I was thinking when I wrote it! XD I would love to do that! Wow, that's a pretty good guess; like I said to everyone else, you'll just have to wait and see ;)**

**Guest: Selena is around here somewhere, but you'll just have to wait for her troublesome character to make a reappearance. Haha glad you like Gill!**

**Shaymin33starphoenix: Aww you are sooo sweet! Luna will appear again soon…but I'm not telling when! XD Nooooo please don't jump off a cliff! Also thanks for messaging me!**

**Supermanisawesome: I like your enthusiasm, I'm trying to get each chapter out as soon as I can finish writing it. It's a lot of work to do, but I always try to get it done for my lovely fans that follow this story. Thanks!**

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><p><strong>~ Gill's P.O.V. ~<strong>

"Gill." Elli called from outside of my office.

"Yes?" I asked, not bothering to look up from my work.

"The ferry boats have returned to the docks." She explained as she appeared in the doorway, out of the corner of my eye.

"Are they in one piece?"

"Well I couldn't really see them from the window. Someone would have to go down to the docks to see them."

I looked up from the documents I was working on. "Oh, well I guess I'll go down there and see them for myself. I can always get back to these forms later."

Elli put her hands up, stopping me from leaving the office. "Oh no, you don't have to do it. You're already buried in paperwork as it is. Why don't I run down there and check for you. That way you can finish your work before you go home; it would be good for you to get it over and done with before Ayame comes into work tomorrow."

I raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't be wanting to get out of here early, now would you?"

Elli stiffened and began tilting her head from side to side. "Eh…no."

I sighed. "You can't hide a lie from me Elli; I know you all too well."

She huffed a sigh. "I'm sorry."

I went back to my paperwork. "I suppose I can let it slide this time. You've been working really hard today and since my father's not here to say anything, I guess it's okay for you to go home for the day. Maybe you can call that boyfriend of yours up; see what he's doing with himself lately."

She giggled. "So what, are you concerned about my love life now?"

'There's that whole 'concern' thing again. Why does everyone think I'm concerned about something?'

"No, I'm just suggesting that you should check in on your boyfriend. At least I'm hoping that he's your boyfriend."

"Yes, he is my boyfriend. He even said that he would love to come and visit the island. He even mentioned that he would like to meet you as well."

"Well I can say that I am looking forward to that then."

She laughed again. "Good to hear. Well, I'll be taking off here and I'll go look at the ships for you. I'll just come back up here when I'm done."

I waved my hand as I looked back up at her. "No no, it's fine. You can just call the house and leave a message on the answering machine; I can always get to it tomorrow. Just go on and go enjoy something at the Sundae Inn; you can tell them to put it on my tab, it's on me tonight."

She looked taken aback. "Oh, wow. Thank you Gill. Has something interesting happened to you recently?"

I shook my head. "No not lately, I just thought that it would be nice to give you a little break."

"Oh, okay. Thank you." She started to walk away but then she stopped herself, turning back around to look at me. "You know, maybe not today, but some day something will happen for you."

I raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

She smiled softly as she leaned against the doorway. "One of these days something good will come to you and it will change your life. It might be a person or it might be something else, but whatever it is, it should make you a different person. It may change your whole outlook on life and hopefully you will be happy in the end."

I stared at her in surprise.

Elli has never spoke something that wise before.

She shook her head. "Well that's what my father used to tell me and he was right. I met a man who changed my entire life for me and I hope that my life will continue to change for the better for me." She met my eyes. "Who knows, maybe you'll meet that girl who will change yours."

I cleared my throat and looked back down at my paperwork. "Yes, thank you Elli for your wise words."

She laughed softly. "Anytime Gill. I'll see you tomorrow." She spun on her heel and left my office.

In the distance I could hear the Town Hall doors open and shut.

I let out a sigh and relaxed in my chair.

Today just seemed to drag by very slowly. I came into work at 7:00 AM and I started working immediately. The clock read 6:45 PM now; only fifteen minutes left until closing time.

My father left the island on business this morning and left me and Elli in charge of Town Hall for the next few days. Now normally I would be more than happy to run Town Hall for my father, it would give me the perfect chance to prove my perseverance and determination to become the mayor to him. However, for the first time ever, I'm actually bored. I can't believe that I'm admitting that I'm bored with my job; I **_NEVER_** complain about that.

Something must be seriously wrong.

I groaned heavily as I dragged a hand down my face. 'What's wrong with me?'

My body felt exhausted, my brain felt empty, and my eyes were sore. I couldn't concentrate in this room.

I've always been in this office. My father gave it to me about four years ago for my birthday and I have been used to it ever since. Unfortunately, at this moment I couldn't stand it in here anymore.

Even though I could hear my own breathing, I felt like I was suffocating. I began to tug on my shirt collar, wishing it wasn't so hot in here. I had even turned on the air conditioning to make it cooler; but it still felt hot in here.

Also the silence was driving me insane. Every squeal of my office chair and paper shuffle had me at the edge of my seat. I had to hear something other than the usual office sounds that surrounded me on a daily basis.

I leaned back and tilted my head back against the chair to stare at the ceiling; which was cracking by the way. Hmm…I might have to repair that later.

I could always put some music on; but then again, it's very distracting for me when I'm working.

No, I need something else.

Ayame can be pretty distracting to listen to, but lately it sort of fades into the natural background of sounds. Even though I've complained about her bother me all the time, it's actually kind of comforting to have someone around me. It's been a long time since I've had someone to hang around with and I guess Ayame fits that role right now; a new friend in my life.

Hmmm…now that's something that I haven't said in a long time; I actually have a friend.

My thoughts began to wander back to the other day when I offered Ayame a job in Town Hall. I still couldn't believe she actually said yes. Also for the fact that she had a talent in organizing and planning. It's the side that I never expected to see her. She was always so energetic, loud, and she was so talkative; probably the complete opposite of the kind of person I would hire.

But…I felt like I needed a change in my life.

Maybe she was right; I need to stop being a grouch and I need to take her advice.

Who knows, maybe I'll meet someone who shares the same interests as me. I wonder when that will happen?

In the distance I heard the door reopen. "Helloooooooo! Anyone here?" a voice called out.

I stood up from my desk and walked out into the main lobby. "Yes? Can I help you?" I asked the figure entering the building.

I stopped in my tracks to see that the figure was none other than Ayame; except she looked a little different. Her short shoulder length was no longer straight, now it was bouncy and curly. She wore a bright yellow shirt and a pair of light orange shorts that matched her boots.

"Oh good, someone's here." She spoke as she closed the door behind her. "It looked like a ghost town in here." She strolled up to the front desk.

"So I take it your little 'journey' went well?" I questioned, wondering how that little pirate ship party was.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well I can't complain, the captain was extremely nice and it was smooth sailing the whole way. So yeah it was good." She responded as she rested her arms on the counter.

"Did you see Elli on your way here?"

She raised an eyebrow. "You mean the girl in the really long blue frilly dress with short brown hair?"

I nodded slowly. "Yes."

'She knows who Elli is, why is she asking me?'

"Oh, then yeah. She was on her way to look at some ferry boats. She told me to come and talk to you…Gill…I think."

It was my turn to raise a brow. "You think?"

"Well that's your name isn't it? I mean she said that you were the only one up here."

"Yes, that's true. But you aren't calling me Gilly like you usually do Ayame." She was acting really weird today; weirder than normal.

Her face contorted in confusion. "Ayame?"

I sighed. "What, do you want a nickname now since you gave me a nickname?"

She pondered for a moment and then gave me a sly smirk. "You can call me anything you want Blondie."

My eyes widened slightly. 'Where was this coming from? Ayame never talked like that to me. Maybe she's testing me. After all, she did say that she was going to teach me how to talk to girls. This may be a test; guess I'd better play along. Well here goes nothing.'

"Well what would you like me to call you?"

She propped her elbows up on the desk, resting her head on her hands. "Call me Cutie, Blondie." She purred.

'Cutie'? Interesting choice, but it's not my pick of names.

"Okay Cutie, I…um…I really like your hair style. It's very…b-beautiful."

And that was no lie; I really liked her hair like this.

She blushed as she brushed a strand behind her ear. "Oh thanks." Then she sized me up from my shoes to my head. "You don't look so bad yourself, Blondie. You look really handsome." She said with a wink.

My face began to feel warm. 'Wow, she's really good at this. Hope I'm doing good too.'

"So Blondie, are you supposed to be the mayor here?"

I blinked at her. "What?"

"Are you the mayor here?"

"Are you seriously asking me that or are you pulling my leg?" I asked, slightly offended.

She put up her hands defensively. "No no no, there's no leg pulling. I'm just asking a question. I'm sorry if I insulted you."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. 'Stop acting like yourself, you're acting like a jerk again. Think nice, positive thoughts. You're trying to woo a girl, not scare her away with your nasty attitude.'

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's been a slow day here."

She glanced around the room. "Hmm…seems like that. I hate those kinds of days; but hey, we all have to face them sometimes."

I nodded along with her.

Her eyes met mine again. "So are you really the mayor or are you gonna just yell again?"

I sighed. "No, my father is really the mayor. I'm sort of an 'assistant mayor' in training. But someday, I hope that I can become the mayor of the island."

She smiled. "Well despite that attitude of yours, I can definitely see you becoming the mayor."

At that split second I almost smiled, but it's still not the right time to do it.

'However, I think this conversation test is going over pretty smoothly. Hmm…maybe I should try asking her out now; she hasn't been frightened off yet.'

I cleared my throat. "Oh thank you. So um…I was wondering…"

"Yeah?"

"Would you…uh…like to…g-go out…on a date…with me?"

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Seriously?"

I nodded in reply.

A smile appeared on her face. "Wow, sure. I'd love to go out with you sometime." She responded as she twirled a strand of hair around her finger.

'Huh, that was a little easier than I thought. Maybe I can charm a girl into falling in love with me. At least I got this part accomplished. Maybe when I meet another girl I can try asking her out for real.'

She laughed softly. "Wow, what a welcome for me. I've only been here for a few minutes and a really hot guy asks me out. Ha! I definitely think I'm gonna like it here."

My cheeks felt even warmer than before. 'Hot? She thinks I'm hot? I wasn't expecting a compliment like that.' Suddenly I backed up my thought process. 'Wait a minute, did she just say 'welcome'?

"Um…what do you mean?" I asked her.

She blushed as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Well I just got here and I think that you're really cute and-"

"No no, I mean…what did you mean by you just got here. You're acting as if you're brand new here and this is your first time on Waffle Island."

She looked at me confusingly. "It is."

My stomach dropped. "W-what?"

"I'm new to the island. I'm the new resident that was coming in today."

My breath caught in my throat. 'This wasn't Ayame? Oh my goodness, I just asked a complete stranger out on a date!'

"Oh my…I'm so sorry. I thought that you were…someone else. Please forgive me."

'She probably thinks I'm a creeper or some pervert who flirts with complete strangers. Oh my, how am I going to explain this to her?'

She stared at me for a little bit and then she suddenly burst out laughing.

I raised a brow at her action. "What's so funny?"

She wiped away a stray tear from her eye. "I'm sorry. This whole situation is just so funny."

"How is it funny?'

"Because you mistook me for Ayame. Well I can't say that this is the first time that this has happened. People always get us mixed up." She laughed.

"How do you know Ayame?"

She smiled at me. "She's my sister."

My eyes widened. "You're Ayame's sister?"

She nodded in response. "Twin sister, to be exact."

"Twins?"

"Yep! Born on the same day and both the same age. Well, Ayame was born three minutes earlier than me; so technically, she's the oldest."

I was stunned. "Wow, I didn't know Ayame had a twin."

Even though I looked at her island profile a few times, I never saw that her younger was her twin.

Her sister crossed her arms. "Huh, I'm surprised that she didn't even mention me. I mean surely her boyfriend would know that she has a twin."

My eyebrows rose up. "**_Boyfriend?_**"

"Yeah, my sister told me that she had a boyfriend and since you tired to take me out on a date, it seems that you must be him."

I shook my head almost frantically. "Oh no, I'm not Ayame's boyfriend; I'm just a friend of hers."

She nodded her head, trying to take it all in. "Oh okay. So do you like my sister then? I mean do you like her so much that you would be willing to break up her and her boyfriend so you can go out with her instead?"

I stared at her like she grew a second head. "What? No of course not! I'm not interested in her that way."

She laughed at me. "I'm just kidding! I watch stuff like Days of Our Lives all the time; you know, soap operas and stuff like that. Ayame and I have a soft spot for it."

"I was never a big fan for soap operas."

She shrugged. "Eh, it's okay. You're a guy, so I understand where you're coming from."

I nodded slowly. 'Well at least she understands that part.'

She smiled at me. "I'm just curious, why did you try to ask me out?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Um…well…oh my…how am I going to explain this? I-I was just practicing."

"Practicing? Practicing what?"

I avoided her eyes, embarrassed of her reaction. "A-asking a girl out."

There was a small silence.

"You've never been out with a girl? Man, I thought you've been out on a lot of dates; you look experienced in the dating field."

I met her caramel colored eyes. "I do?"

She nodded with a huge grin on her face. "Of course, I mean a guy who has blonde hair and blue eye should have girls lining up for him. I mean, you're a good looking guy."

I stared at her, letting her comment catch up with my mind. "Really? Um…wow, thank you."

That's a first.

"You're welcome." Then she glanced around the room. "So umm…where do I sign the entrance papers?"

I shook myself out of my daze. "Oh, yes. I'll go get them." I spun on my heel and went into my office.

As I searched through the mess of papers on my desk I began to try and recall what just happened. 'She's Ayame's sister? How did I not guess that? She looks almost exactly like her.' I exhaled. 'Well at least she wasn't creeped out when I tried asking her out. But she seemed to go along with it. Maybe…just maybe.' I shook my head. 'No, don't think about that right now. She just got here and you can't just scare her off that quickly. Give it a few days and then maybe you can try again.'

After giving myself a little pep talk I finally found the paperwork. I picked them up and went back into the lobby where Ayame's sister was bouncing on her heels. "I found them." I told her.

She ceased her bouncing. "Oh, good to hear."

I lay them out on the desk and handed her a pen. "Just sign your name here." I instructed as I pointed to the first document.

She scribbled it down across the line.

I showed her the second one. "And here."

She did the same on this one.

Then I gave her the last one. "And this one here."

She smiled as she signed the last one. "Done."

I took them back and placed them into a manila folder. "Thank you…um…" I paused.

'Oh no, I don't even know what her name is. I highly doubt that 'Cutie' is her real name.'

She held out her hand to me. "Emiko."

I grabbed her hand and shook it. "Emiko, nice to meet you."

'I guess those kinds of names run in the family.'

She drew her hand back. "Thanks, it's nice to meet you too…Gill, right?"

"Yes."

She pumped her fist. "Got it!"

'Yep, she's definitely Ayame's sister.'

"So where am I going to be living at exactly?"

"Well we are putting the finishing touches on your house at the moment. I'm sorry, but it move in until tomorrow. However, I've already booked you a room at the Sundae Inn; it's a lovely place to stay at."

She smiled. "I'll take your word for it; but do you mind if I stop at my sister's place real quick? I wanna let her know that I'm here."

"Oh sure, do you know where she lives?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Not really."

I glanced up at the clock to see that it was just about seven; almost time to shut down the office.

"Well, I can show you where she lives as soon as I'm done closing up the office."

"Seriously? Wow, that would be great! Thank you!"

"You're welcome." I responded as I began clearing up all of the paperwork around the office. "You know Ayame didn't mention to anyone that you were coming here. She must have wanted it to be a surprise."

She laughed. "Oh, it's gonna be a surprise alright. Not just for everyone on the island, but for my sister too."

I stared at her. "You mean, your sister doesn't know that you're here?"

She shook her head. "She doesn't even know that I'm moving here." She giggled. "Boy is she gonna be surprised!"

My eyes widened. 'Oh my, this is going to be one interesting reunion."

**~ End of Gill's P.O.V. ~**

"Yo ho! Yo ho! A pirate's life for me!" Luke sang as we walked across the path to my house.

I was clinging onto his neck as Luke carried me on his back. "We're blah blah de blah blah de blah! And blah blah de blah!" I tried to sing, obviously not knowing the lyrics.

Luke laughed at my attempt. "No! It's not like that! We pillage, we plunder, we rifle and loot."

"Drink up me hearties, yo ho!" i shouted out and began to laugh hysterically.

"Ha ha! Are you drunk or something?"

"Pfft, no! Of course not! Unless you count icing."

"Well I can definitely agree on that! There was soooo much cake and icing!"

I brushed out some leftover cake in his head. "Yeah, you've still got some on you. Were you planning on saving it for later?"

He snorted. "Oh yeah, I was saving it for tonight. I thought that you'd like cake for dinner." He said as he walked across the foot bridge.

"Ha! Sounds like a great idea, but I think I'm done with cake for awhile. That cake fight was enough cake and icing for a loooong time."

Luke laughed. "Yeah that has to be the best fight ever!"

I smirked. "Better than the spaghetti fight and the mud fight?"

He nodded as we finally arrived at my house. "Yeah it was."

He let me stand on the ground again as he waited for me to unlock the door.

Reluctantly, I pulled the key out of the top of my dress and saw Luke raise a brow.

"You kept it-"

"Yeah, I know. I couldn't keep it anywhere else." I cut him off as I put the key in the door to unlock it.

After it was unlocked, I pushed the door open and we walked inside. "So back to the best food fights, how would you rank them?"

Luke shut the door behind him as he began to ponder. "Well, third place would be that spaghetti fight we had back in the spring."

I nodded, slightly blushing as I recalled Luke licking the sauce off of my cheek.

"Then of course the cake fight today wins first place because it was so epic. Am I right?"

I giggled. "Yeah, of course; but you missed one more fight. What about the mud fight?"

Luke smiled as he moved closer to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "That fight actually comes in a very close second. It comes that close because not only it fun, but it was the the moment when we found out how we felt about each other. If that little mud fight never existed, then we probably wouldn't be together like this right now. I'm glad that happened, because if it didn't, then I wouldn't have gotten to date the most…amazing, beautiful, and hilarious girl I've ever met. Like I said in my that speech I made on the pirate ship, I love you."

I felt tears well up in my eyes as I pulled Luke to me and hugged him tightly. "Aw Luke, why do you always have to be so sweet and cheesy with your speeches?"

He laughed. "Because that's who I am; the hyperactive romantic who says cheesy stuff."

I leaned back so I could stare into his amber colored eyes. "Yeah and that's just the way I like it." I responded with a smile.

Luke smiled back as he leaned down, brushing his lips against mine.

I kissed him back, knowing that I was so happy to be with me. Everything felt amazing when we were together; I couldn't be any happier.

Luke pulled away and smiled. "Do you mind if I use the shower?"

I looked at him quizzically. "Why do you always have to ruin the moment with an odd comment?"

He shrugged. "I'm not trying to ruin the moment; I'm just tired of smelling the overbearing fragrance of cake and icing."

I had to laugh at that. He was right, it was a little overwhelming.

"So do you mind?"

I giggled and then nodded my head towards the bathroom. "Go ahead."

He smiled and pecked my lips. "Thanks babe." He responded as he walked towards the bathroom, grabbing his duffel bag on the way. As he gripped the doorknob he looked over his shoulder, giving me a sheepish smile. "I smell like I just robbed a bakery."

I burst out laughing. "Does that mean I'm an accomplice?"

He opened the door, stepping inside and then leaned his head out. "Oh yes, the incredibly sexy accomplice who gets the job done by stealing all of the world's pastries." He announced dramatically and then shut the door behind him.

I bit down on my lower lip as I began to picture that mental image in my head. 'Ayame, the sexy bakery robber. Huh, I guess that could be a good name for me.' I thought as I walked over to the kitchen sink. I grabbed a dishtowel from the cabinet and then wet it under the faucet. Since Luke called dibs on the bathroom I guess I'll just have to use the sink for now. I untangled the tiara from my messy hair and set it on the counter. Taking the wet rag in my hand, I began to wash off all of the cake residue.

I still can't believe it all worked out. Everyone was perfect with their characters and the kids seemed to be very interested in the whole thing; especially Chloe. I can still picture that brave expression on her face when she declined Captain Cook's offer. She definitely could have been an excellent pirate. She'll never forget this day. This will probably be the best birthday that she will ever have.

Man, it would be awesome to do all of this again. Well, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Who knows, maybe Gill will actually come to the next one.

A sudden knock at the door broke me out of my thoughts.

I threw the dishrag back into the sink and ran to the door, tripping over my heels the whole way. I grumbled at myself and kicked them across the room, causing them to hit the wall. "Ha! Take that deathtraps!" I yelled at them.

After yelling at my poor defenseless shoes, I unlocked the door and came face to face with Gill's ice blue eyes.

"Oh hey Mr. No-Show, what's up?"

He slightly glared. "Mr. No-Show?"

"Oh don't give me that. You didn't show up at Chloe's party and you know it."

He groaned. "I'm sorry I didn't come. I had a lot to-"

"Yeah yeah, I know you were busy; we all know that you're always busy. It's the same excuse every time."

He raised a brow. "Are you done?"

I shook my head. "No, you're lazy, boring, and you smell bad." I responded, trying to be serious but ended up snickering at him.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh course, make fun of the person who didn't come to the party; go ahead, I deserve it."

I smiled. "Nah, I'm done. If you were busy then you were busy. However, next time, please try to make it."

He sighed. "Yes, I'll try to come next time."

"Good, because you missed out on the food fight of the century. It was the best day ever."

Gill scanned my dress where there were still clumps of cake all over it. "Uh…I can see that."

I giggled at his expression.

Then he cleared his throat. "Anyways, the reason I stopped by is because I just received some…interesting news."

I leaned against the door frame. "Interesting news? What kind of interesting news?"

He looked down at his shoes quickly and then met my gaze again. "We…uh…we have a new resident on the island."

My eyes widened. "Seriously? That's great! Are they here now? Where are they?"

He looked hesitant. "**_She_**…is actually here, right now."

My face contorted in confusion. "She's here? As in outside of my house? Why would she come to-"

"Hey sis!" a figure yelled out as they jumped out from beside the doorway.

My mouth dropped open and my breath caught in my throat as I stared at the excited expression of my younger sister. "E-Emiko?" I choked out.

She beamed at me. "The one and only!"

"W-what are you doing here?!"

"I just wanted to see where my big sister has been living for the past few months."

I was completely in shock and awe. My sister was here. Here! As in here on Waffle Island!

"Why didn't you tell me that you were coming?"

She shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I just wanted it to be a surprise." She opened her arms. "Now, do I get a hug from my sis or not?"

Managing to shake off the shocked expression on my face, I lunged into my sister's awaiting arms, hugging her tightly. "I've missed you Em." I whispered.

She sighed. "I've missed you too sis."

Tears began to prick my eyes. I was just so happy to see her.

"Hey Ayame, have you seen my pants? I can't find them in my duffel bag." Luke asked as he came out into the main room.

I let go of Emiko to see Luke come out of the bathroom in just a t-shirt and his boxers. **_His boxers?!_**

"Luke! What are you doing?!"

He shrugged. "Looking for my pants, what does it look like I'm doing?"

Covering my embarrassed face, I shook my head mournfully. 'Oh Luke.'

Luke looked at Gill. "Ah why is _**he**_ here?" he groaned.

Gill rolled his eyes. "I'm here to see Ayame."

"You're **_always_** here to see Ayame. Why can't you go bother someone else, like Luna."

Gill stiffened at the mention of her name.

Well I mean who wouldn't? The girl was as big as a pain as Selena was.

"I…I don't get along so well with…Luna. I'm not…a big '**_fan_**' of her."

Luke snorted. "Well she's a _**big**_ fan of you."

Ha! No doubt about that.

I sighed out loud. "Luke, will you please go put some pants on? We have guests here."

"I'm looking for them. Didn't I just tell you that?"

Emiko laughed. "Wow, now this is pretty entertaining."

I groaned. "I'm sorry about him, this is…a regular thing that he does."

I wish I was lying, but I wasn't. Luke would always lose something when he would stay at my house. Last week he lost his bandanna. The other day he lost his ax. And pretty frequently, he lost his pants. This would probably be the eighth time this month.

Luke stared at Emiko. "Uh…Ayame…why is there a girl that looks like you standing there? Am I in the 'Twilight Zone'?"

Emiko snickered as she began singing the theme song from 'The Twilight Zone'.

I shook my head. "No Luke, we're still on Waffle Island. This is my sister, Emiko."

Luke's eyes grew about the size of dinner plates. "Your sister? Holy crap! She looks just like you."

Emiko laughed. "Of course! I'm her twin."

Luke looked at me, still in shock. "Twins? Ayame, you didn't tell me that you and you sister were twins."

Emiko looked at me with her hands on her hips. "Huh, I feel insulted Sis. You didn't tell your friends that you had a twin who is beautiful, smart, and talented."

I rolled my eyes. 'Typical Emiko, always trying to brag.'

"I told them that you existed, I just forgot to mention that we're twins."

She frowned at me. "I'm still not happy that you didn't tell them the twin part."

Luke laughed as he walked over to us. "Ah, so what if she forgot? The important thing is that we know now and that we get to meet you finally."

Emiko dropped the frown and replaced it with that sly smile that she has worn for years; the smile I of course grew up with. "Oh okay, I guess I can let it slip for now. So who is this…interesting guy?" she asked.

"Emiko, this is my boyfriend, Luke."

Luke held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Emiko."

She shook his hand. "It's nice to finally meet the guy who stole away my big sister's heart." She said as she shook his hand.

"And it's nice to finally meet the infamous sister of Ayame. You might think that she hasn't told me about you, but she's told me just about everything else about you guys."

Emiko glanced over at me. "Oh she has, hasn't she? What kind of stuff has she said?"

'Please don't say anything embarrassing. Please please please don't say anything embarrassing.' I prayed to myself.

Luke tapped his chin as he began to ponder. "Well she told me about the time where she fell into the pond at the park because she had that bee buzzing around her head. Then you had to fish her out of the water."

My face fell at the mention of that day; that was soooo embarrassing. There in fact was a bee involved, and me, the person who is afraid of bees, freaked out and fell into the pond that was smack dab in the middle of the local park. I can still picture everyone who was there, laughing hysterically. Emiko had to pull me out of the pond because I kept slipping and falling back into the water.

Emiko burst out laughing. "Oh my gosh! That was hilarious! Remember your face Ayame?"

"Yes Em, I remember." I groaned under my breath.

Luke laughed. "Yeah, that reminds me of the time where Ayame and I got into that huge water fight at the Spring Flower Festival."

She smirked. "Oh really? Please, do tell."

As the two of them continued to try and make my life miserable, I looked over at Gill, who still stood in the doorway awkwardly.

I smiled at him as I walked over to him. "So I take it that you've met my sister already?"

He looked down at his shoes. "Yes…I did. I can definitely tell that she is your sister."

I giggled. "Yep, we act almost alike, but we are the complete opposite when you get to know her more."

He nodded as he continued to avoid eye contact with me.

"Something wrong?" I asked as I leaned down, trying to catch his gaze. "Did she say something to you?"

"No, it's more of what I said to **_her_**." He answered quietly.

I put my hands on my hips and I straightened up. "Did you insult my sister? Cause if you did-"

His head shot up. "No! No! At least…I don't think I did. I think…I think I really embarrassed her, as well as myself."

"Well what did you say?"

"I um…" he murmured the rest of his response, incoherently.

"What?"

He tried to say it again, a little louder this time; however, it was still hard to understand.

"Gill, you're gonna have to speak up; I still can't hear you."

His ice blue eyes met mine. "I…accidentally asked your sister out."

I stared at him, stunned in shock. "You what?"

He growled under his breath. "I accidentally asked your sister out on a date."

I shook my head, trying to process what he just said. "Well…what do you mean by 'accidentally'?"

He tried to look down at his shoes again. "I thought she was…" he trailed off.

I rotated my wrist, trying to help him finish the sentence. "What? Beautiful? Funny? Cute?"

He exhaled. "You."

My breath caught in my throat and my heart skipped a beat. "W-what?"

'What is up with this? Gill was trying to ask me out? Where did this suddenly come from?'

"Gill…what…what do you mean by that?"

He took a deep breath. "Well…I thought it was you, except you were dressed differently. So I assumed that you were trying to test me on how to ask a girl out."

I arched my eyebrows. "A test on asking a girl out?"

He hesitated. "Yes…I thought that you were pretending to be someone else so that I could practice asking a girl out."

"Seriously?"

He let out a groan. "I know, I know. It sounds completely strange, but when you said that you were going to help me out…I assumed…well…that."

I nodded, slowly understanding what he was getting at. "Huh, why didn't I think of that? That's not a bad idea; I wish my sister hadn't beat me to it first." I laughed. "So what was her answer when you asked?"

He sighed. "She said 'yes'."

I stopped laughing. "She said yes?"

He nodded.

I was completely speechless. My sister actually said 'yes' to Gill.

"Wow, I wasn't really expecting that."

"Neither was I, but I don't think that she meant it."

"Why would you say that?"

He shrugged. "I think she caught onto my game after I said your name; she thought that I was trying to ask you out."

My eyebrows rose. "Really?"

He nodded once again before he let out a sigh. "Also she thought that I was concocting an evil plot to split you and Luke up so that I could be with you instead."

I had to burst out laughing at that. "Yep, she's thinking of soap opera plots; we love watching 'Days of Our Lives' together."

"Yes, she did mention your love for soap operas. I told her that I'm not a big fan of them."

I giggled. "Oh come on, you should give it a chance; it's not that bad."

He crossed his arms. "I'll take it into consideration." Then he began glancing around the room. "So anyways, how was your trip? Was the party a success?"

I grinned at him. "Yeah, Chloe went absolutely nuts when she was brought on board; she looked like Christmas had come early for her. She and the other kids played their part and the whole act ended on a very positive note. Overall, it was a big success."

Gill nodded along. "Good to hear then. I'm glad that it ended on a good note for you. Was anything damaged?"

I shook my head. "Nope, we were really careful to not damage anything; that's why we used water balloons for the cannon balls."

At least he doesn't look mad at that; he actually looks intrigued.

"That's a pretty interesting idea; a fun and safe way to make it look like a war between rival ships. I'd have to say that I'm impressed."

I smiled at his comment. "Thanks Gill, that's really nice of you to say."

He's getting better with his attitude lately. I feel like I'm helping him to become a better person every day. Hopefully some day, I'll be able to turn him into the gentleman who can become the mayor of this island and also I can help him find really sweet girl that he can find love with.

"Oh that reminds me, what time should I come into work tomorrow? I mean, it's my first day tomorrow."

Gill pondered for a moment. "Well, I would say that you can come in around…eh…7:30 AM. That way you can get there around the same time as Elli, she can fill you in on some of your duties."

"Sounds good to me." I responded.

Then I looked over at Luke and my sister, who were still talking to one another. 'Oh boy, I wonder what embarrassing story he's telling her about now?'

I wasn't able to figure out what story Luke was telling her but I could tell that it was one where I completely embarrassed myself, since my sister was laughing her head off.

"Ha! I almost forgot about that! That was soooo funny!"

I sighed out loud. "Ar you guys done making fun of me now?"

Luke snickered. "For now."

I rolled my eyes. '_**Perfect**_.'

Gill cleared his throat. "Well I'm glad that this new resident welcoming is going smoothly."

My face contorted in confusion. "New resident welcoming?" Then I glance back at Emiko and Luke. "What are you talking about?"

Emiko smiled brightly. "I'm moving to Waffle Island! I'm the new girl in town!"

My mouth dropped for the second time today. "What?!"

"Surprise!"

Luke's grin grew wider. "Wow! Another resident on the island and it's Ayame's sister! Welcome to the island!"

"Thanks!" Then she looked over at me, who still slightly gaping open in surprise.

Not only was my sister here, but she was moving to Waffle Island. Wow, talk about an eventful day for me.

"Ayame?"

I quickly snapped back into reality. "Huh?"

She walked towards me with a sad expression. "Are you upset that I moved here without telling you?"

I shook my head frantically before she could start crying. "No! Of course not! I'm just…still shocked that you're here and now you're moving here."

She gave me a soft smile. "So you're not mad?"

I smiled back. "No, I'm really glad that you're here." I responded as I pulled her into a hug.

She hugged back. "Thanks Sis." When she pulled back she looked up at me with her big brown eyes. "Well I guess I'd better go check in at that Sundae Inn back in town. I'm gonna stay there while they put the finishing touches on my house."

My face fell a little. "Oh, okay."

'It seemed like she got here and now she's already leaving. Well I guess we can always talk tomorrow.'

Emiko seemed to notice my expression. "Unless you wanna have a little movie party like we used to back home; that way we can try and catch up with each other. That is, if it's okay with you."

I smiled again. "Of course it's okay!" Then I looked over at Gill. "Is it okay if she stays here for a little bit? I don't want Jake and Colleen to be upset if she doesn't check in right away."

Gill placed his hands behind his back. "Oh, I'm sure they won't mind, I'll go inform them and then she can check in later. Her luggage is already there."

Emiko smiled at him. "Thanks Blondie!"

Gill's face grew slightly red as he avoided eye contact, looking down at his shoes again.

'Man, those shoes must be pretty interesting to look at.'

"Uh…yes, you're welcome." He stuttered.

'I guess he's probably still embarrassed about earlier. I might have to ask Em about that.'

He cleared his throat again. "Well, I guess I'll leave you girls to your little movie party." His eyes met mine. "I will see you tomorrow at work then."

I nodded in reply. "Yeah, see you later Boss."

Gill didn't respond to the nickname. Instead, he opened the door and left without another word.

Luke sighed in relief. "Finally, he's gone. So anyways, what's next on the agenda?"

I shifted my eyes towards him. He was still in his boxers. "Well first, I'd think that you should find your pants."

He looked down. "Oh yeah, heh, sorry about that. But seriously Ayame, have you seen my pants?"

I sighed in frustration as I walked over to my bed and held up Luke's brown work pants. "Are these them?"

Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh yeah, what do you know; right where I left them." He laughed as he took them back. "Thanks Babe." He started stepping into them. "So what happens now that I've fond my missing pants?"

I stared at him. 'Did he not just hear what I just told Gill?'

"Uh…Luke…" I glanced over at Emiko and then back at him, hoping that he would get the message.

"What? I see your sister is right there?"

'Ugh, he's so clueless. How should I say this without insulting him.'

"Um Luke, is there any chance that we can have a movie party tonight?"

He smiled at me. "Of course we can. What are we watching?"

I sighed while my sister giggled softly. "Uh…Luke…I mean can Emiko and I have a movie party?"

His face finally showed realization. "Oh oh, I get it. I'm sorry I'm so stupid."

I shook my head. "No no, you're not stupid Luke."

"A little clueless, but not stupid." Emiko chimed in.

My mouth slightly opened in shock and then I elbowed her in the side. "Emiko." I hissed.

Luke crossed his arms. "Hey! I resent that!"

She snickered. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. When I see an opportunity like that I just pounce on it."

Luke relaxed himself. "Yeah, I guess I do the same thing sometimes. I'll let it slide this time." He responded with a laugh.

I mentally sighed in relief. 'At least he isn't affected by her witty comments.'

Luke clapped his hands together. "Well I'd better leave now so you two girls can have your movie party."

Emiko and I smiled at each other.

Luke began gathering his belongings and then stuffed them into his duffel bag.

I walked over to him to help as I grabbed his pirate gear, kissing his cheek while handing them to him. "Sorry we can't have dinner tonight."

He shrugged. "It's alright. You haven't seen your sister in a long time and I know that you've missed her. We can always go out tomorrow night. Heck, I see you about ever single day now." He replied with a smile. That smile that always won me over.

I returned it. "Thanks Luke."

After he was all packed up I walked him to door.

He smiled down at me as I pulled open the door for him. "Thank you again for the awesome day. You did an amazing job with Chloe's birthday party."

I blushed as I brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "Thanks, it was a lot of work but I couldn't have done it without you."

Luke laughed. "Aw, you're just saying that. You're just happy that you got to kiss a really tough and dangerous pirate."

I giggled at him. "Oh yes, because that is exactly what I've always wanted to do."

"Ha! Yeah, and I've always wanted to kiss a princess."

I shot him a flirtatious smile. "Oh really now? Wanna have another one Matie?"

He smirked back. "Yes, Your Highness."

He leaned down and crushed his lips into mine. His lips moved against mine, leaving mini sparks in it's wake. 'Man, I don't think I'll ever get tired of that.'

"Oh man, get a room you two." Emiko groaned in the background.

Luke pulled away and looked over at her annoyed expression. "Well we would, but you're kind of in it." He joked.

I slapped his arm. "Shut it!"

He laughed at me. "Sorry Babe, but like she said, when you see an opportunity like that you have to pounce."

Emiko smirked. "Darn right."

I rolled my eyes. "Goodbye Luke." I said as I tired to push him out the door.

He grabbed onto the frame, trying to stay inside of the house. "Oh come on Ayame, I'm sorry. I was just kidding."

I pushed against him, trying to get him to let go. "Too late, you already said it and you're out of here."

"Aw come on!" he pouted. "At least give me one more kiss before I go."

I stopped pushing him. "Oh, okay I guess."

He let go of the door frame and stood up straight.

I smirked. "Pucker up Big Boy."

Luke puckered his lips at me.

I grabbed the door and then slammed it shut, leaving him outside.

"Hey! That's not fair!" he shouted through the door.

"You snooze, you lose. You can apologize tomorrow." I laughed.

"You're mean!"

"But you love me anyway!"

There was a silence on the other side. He must have gave up and left already.

I turned around to face my sister.

She smirked. "Don't you think that you were a little tough on him?"

I waved my hand nonchalantly. "Nah, he's fine. We do this kind of stuff all the time to each other. He'll forgive me. He's just being himself right now."

She giggled. "I can see that."

I sighed as I rested my hands on my hips and looked around the room. "So what do you wanna do first?"

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><p><strong>Well that's all for now. What did you think of that? Weren't expecting Ayame's sister to make an appearance were you? What do you think is going to happen now that Emiko is here? Good? Bad? You tell me…I wanna hear your thoughts on her arrival. Say whatever you'd like. Also sorry if there were any mistakes in grammar in this...I was rushing through the editing process so I could get it out before I left for the Anime convention...if you see anything, please message me!<strong>

**I really hope that you liked the new chapter! I'm gonna try and work on the newest one as much as I can this summer to get it out soon. I'm gonna start the next chapter soon in my notebook and I'm gonna try to get it done as soon as possible. Also I'm gonna be going on a lot of vacations this summer as well as watching Doctor Who on Netflix lols. Please review and message me! I love hearing your thoughts on the story! Thanks everyone! Have a great summer! **


	27. Mr Napkin-Head Meets Mr Butt-Kisser

**Hey everyone! I'm really sorry for taking soooo long. I'm trying my best to have the new chapters written and then edited on the computer. It's not easy, but I'm trying my best. Since school is out, I've been writing a lot and I've been out on vacations. I wanted to get this chapter out before I go out of town in two weeks. I'm going to Disney World again! Yays! I don't care if I'm an adult, I LOVE going there! I'm a kid at heart and I'm not afraid to admit it! It's kind of weird when I think about it, I was posting the chapters about Gill's past last summer when I went to Disney World. Weird how time flies...**

**Anyways, for those of you who were wondering how that Anime convention went…it…was…AMAZING! That was the most fun I've ever had in years! I could actually be a nerd and nobody judged me! Actually they just joined in when something funny would happen. I got over 400 photos of cosplays, actors, and panels! I got to dress up like Naruto (female, minus the Sexy Jutsu XD) and I had people run up to me and talk to me as if I was really him. It was fun! Also, the best part of the convention was meeting J. Michael Tatum (voices of Sebastian from Black Butler and Kyoya from Ouran), Ian Sinclair (voices of Baldroy from Black Butler and Dallas from Bakuno)…and most importantly…Vic Mignogna (voices for Edward from Full Metal Alchemist and Tamaki from Ouran, and ect). Meeting him was the highlight of my trip! He signed an autograph photo of him and Tamaki (my favorite character) and he hugged me…I was fangirling the whole time! XD Also the Doctor Who panel was awesome! Soooo many whovians! There was a Weeping Angel that was walking around the convention, scaring the crap out of people! Best costume there! There may be a youtube video of it online, it was hilarious to see everyone's reactions! XD**

**On another random note, I was considering on writing some other stuff on the side when I get stuck in between chapters. I was considering writing a couple oneshots. The first one I had was Ouran Host Club one with Mori-sempai, I have the idea all mapped out, I just need to write it. Hopefully I can have it written soon. I'm not giving up on Prankster and the Pompous, far from that…I just want something else to write while I try to get over my little writer's block moments…also I'm gonna start re-editing chapters of this story because they sound…meh…and I wanna fix them. If any of you catch anything in this chapter that's wrong or misspelled, let me know. Thanks!**

**Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, or reviewed this past chapter! I can't believe how my stats are looking for the past few weeks, I'm sooo happy that you guys like it! I love hearing what you guys had to say about Ayame's sister! It was very interesting to read your reactions! Some of you were excited and some of you were concerned…and I'm okay with that. Everyone has their opinions and I wanna hear them. Keep them up! If you want to say something, then say it. I'm not gonna judge you at all. I like hearing your thoughts. Even if you just type something really random I don't mind answering them. They're kind of funny lol.**

**Okay, before I make this pre-note into a novel…I hope that you all like this new chapter! I actually wanna dedicate it to my younger sister because I actually used some of her tendencies in Emiko's character. Some of this chapter is what my sister and I act like when we hang out sometimes. That's what helped me write this chapter and I'm really happy for my sister since she graduated high school finally! Congrats to my Sis! Anyways, I really hope that you enjoy this chapter! Please review and message me! Enjoy!**

********NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC's, Ayame and Emiko. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.********

**Also I don't own any of the movie references in this chapter either! **

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><p><strong>Review Responses: Wow! I got sooo many reviews this time, and I really appreciated to hear what you guys had to say about Emiko. I wanted to hear your views and I'm happy that you told me. Keep them up! <strong>

**jocie hm lover:** I think it was called Colossalcon, and it was a blast! Loved every minute of it! XD hahaha I thought of that part at the last second and I laughed at it after I wrote it. Love writing comedy parts! XD Ha! That's good then, I'm doing my job in making her one. Don't worry, she'll make her appearance…very soon.

**CAPJHMPAgirl:** haha! Good, I like making things unexpected! XD Writing the flirting scene was really fun to work with, it gave Gill a chance to try and 'flirt' with someone for once. Hope school goes good for you! It's probably over now, but still, hope you do good!

**ShermanTheWorm:** hahahaha I'm glad that you liked it! Oh I lose stuff all the time, mainly my cell phone or my belt (that looks like a seatbelt). The convention was soooooooo awesome! I met the voices of Tamaki and Kyoya! XD Best moment ever! It's one of my favorite shows too! Vic (voice of Tamaki) wrote 'King' on his autograph photo that had him with Tamaki on it! I'm gonna frame it sometime! He did the 'Commoner's Coffee' at his Q&A and everyone screamed! I almost fangirl screamed and died right there. XD Congrats on being the 100th review!

**DiamondRainbows:** Oh you'll see lols. Thanks for finding that! I'll make sure I'll edit that later on! If you see anymore, let me know!

**CrazedAuthor17:** Glad you liked the sibling introduction. I do love a good sibling rivalry, I see it happen all the time around me. You'll just have to find out what Emiko will do next. Hope you like the future chapters!

**XxBlue and CrimsonxX:** (First of all, just want to say how cool it is to have two writers on the same account! That's awesome! So I'll just give each of you your own separate reviews)

**Blue:** That's actually a pretty good theory, but I can't reveal anything. To quote Doctor Who: "SPOILERS!" XD I'm hoping that I make her a promising and strong character, I was willing to take that risk and there's no turning back now. I just hope that I can do it right. Thanks!

**Crimson:** Thanks! Gill will appear very soon and I can't wait to get started on the next few chapters! That's a good idea! But like I told Blue, "SPOILERS!" XD There's more to come!

**Guest:** Thank you very much! Glad you like my style, I sometimes worry about it (if I use too much dialog and not enough descriptions, I guess that's just the way I write.) Well there may still be a love triangle, but I don't wanna spoil anything. Lols But I'm glad that you said it, I like to hear what everyone thinks and I'm very grateful that you mentioned that. I can understand your concern and I'm okay with it. I'm still trying to work out all of the bugs and writer's block throughout the story, so I'm still trying to figure some things out. I hope that I can continue to write more and 'blow your mind', how you put it. Lol Thanks again!

**GMW:** Oh no sweetie, you're not wasting any time at all. I do know who Dartz is, however, I haven't really seen the episodes that he's been in. Mostly I've just seen him in The Abridged Series on Youtube (which is hilarious by the way). He's not bad looking, but I have my eyes set on Duke, cause he's bringing sexy back! XD

* * *

><p>"Shhhh! Shhhh! Quiet!" Emiko hissed at me.<p>

"Oh now you're telling me to be quiet?" I asked.

She glared. "It's my favorite part."

I rolled my eyes. "You've already said that the last twenty-two parts."

She huffed. "Well this is my _**ultimate**_ favorite part."

We turned our attention back to the TV where Jude Law's daughter, Olivia, climbed into his lap.

"Dad, do Mr. Napkinhead." Emiko mimicked the cute little girl.

I rolled my eyes. "Of course, you're just gonna quote over it."

She stared at me innocently with her big brown eyes. "Pleeeeeeease! Do it! Do it!" she chanted along with both of Jude's daughters.

I sighed as I turned back to the movie to see Jude surrender to his daughters' demands by putting the napkin over his face with a pair of glasses.

"Hello! Hello I'm Mr. Napkinhead! Hello children!"

I couldn't help but snicker at his act. Emiko was right; this was a really good part in the movie.

"Who is this? Who is this lovely woman?" he asked his girls as he stared at Cameron Diaz, who was also laughing at his pretend game.

"Amanda!" Emiko squeaked.

I giggled at her. "You love this movie way too much, don't you?"

She smirked. "Look who's talking; you can quote this movie almost word for word, with your eyes closed."

I shrugged. "Eh, so what?"

She laughed. "So what? That just shows that you're even more obsessed with this movie than I am."

"But you freak out every single minute that your 'favorite part' comes on."

She shook her head in denial. "No I don't."

"You just did it a second ago!"

She stuck out her tongue. "Nuh-uh!"

"Oh for the love of Pete!" I groaned.

"Who's Pete?" Then she pointed at me accusingly, gasping. "Are you cheating on your boyfriend, Ayame?"

My mouth dropped. "What?! No Emiko!"

She laughed at me. "I'm just kidding Sis."

"You'd better be." I warned.

In the end we both burst out laughing.

Oh man, did it feel good to be with my sister again.

After we calmed down Emiko held up her hands. "Okay okay, I think I have a solution to this. Why don't we just admit that we're both obsessed with The Holiday and we'll just put it at that."

I smiled. "Yeah okay, I can live with that." I grabbed another handful of popcorn and shoved it into my mouth. "I'll also admit that The Holiday is in my 'Top Five Favorite Films'." I said with a mouthful of popcorn.

She smiled back. "Now that's something that I can agree on; I love this movie. It's cute, funny, romantic, and Jack Black is hysterical."

"Why do you think I picked it?"

She pondered for a moment. "Because you wanted to drool over Jude Law's gorgeous face?"

I gasped dramatically. "How did you know that?"

She shrugged as she tossed a piece of popcorn into her mouth. "I'm your twin, of course I know."

We both turned our attention back to the screen to see the cute tent scene with Jude's daughters.

"Awww." My sister cooed. "Why do they have to be soooo cute?"

"Because they are." I answered.

She sighed. "I want to have little girls like that one day."

"Same here, but that probably won't happen for awhile."

Emiko sighed again, this time it was a little more sadly. "Yeah, same here. Sounds like it won't happen for a long time for me."

I looked over at her. "Why would you say that? What happened to Seth? You guys seemed pretty serious about each other."

"We were, I mean we almost moved in together after you left. But then…" She looked down at her lap. "I…caught him cheating on me."

My eyes widened in surprise. "No way."

She nodded. "I was going over to his apartment to start bringing some of my stuff over and when I opened the door…" she paused. "I found him on the couch…on top of another girl…just about heading for second base."

I covered my mouth. "Oh my gosh…I'm so sorry."

She took a deep breath as she lifted her head up. "Yeah, it wasn't the kind of welcoming present seeing him on top of Christina Blake."

I gasped. "No way! What the heck was she doing with him?"

"Well by the looks of it, trying to get lucky with him." She exhaled loudly. "That girl couldn't bare to see either of us find happiness."

I nodded in agreement with her.

Ever since we were in kindergarten, Christina Blake's main goal was to make both of our lives miserable. Whether it was beating us at everything, attempting to get us in trouble, or even trying to steal any guy we came in contact with. Sadly for Emiko, it seemed as if she had succeeded. This is why I'm glad that I moved after graduation; I'd never have to see her ugly preppy face again.

"When did this happen?" I asked Emiko.

"Last Monday. As soon as I caught them I kind of threw some stuff at them."

"What kind of stuff? Please tell me that you did something to that little brat's face."

She gave me a small smile. "I actually stained her favorite dress, according to her, with my cup of cappuccino that I was holding. I threw it after I cursed her out for everything. It actually felt good after I did that."

"What about Seth?"

"Oh, I kicked him where the sun don't shine after I threw some of his old belonging he gave me at his head."

I shook my head in dismay. "Always so violent."

"Oh come on, he totally deserved it when he tried telling me that he still loved me when he had hickeys all over his neck."

"Well…I guess. But you still shouldn't try to hurt him."

She sighed. "You're too soft Ayame."

"I'm not that soft! I still hit Luke when he's being annoying."

She giggled. "Of course."

I leaned against the back of the couch. "So what did you do after that?"

"I went home, stayed in my room for two days and then began contemplating on what to do next. I actually found that brochure for here on your bed; so I looked it over and then I kind of decided immediately to move here. So I could try and get away from Seth and Christina." Then she looked over at me. "Also, I really wanted to be near you. I was really sad after you left."

I hugged her close to me. "Aww Sis, I missed you too. I'm really glad that you're here."

She hummed happily. "Glad to be here too Sis." Then she gasped out loud. "Look! Look! Isn't this your favorite part?"

I looked at the screen to see Kate Winslett and Jack Black enter the video store. I tore away from my sister and began almost bouncing up and down in my seat. "Oh! I love the part!"

As the two friends walked around the store, looking at certain movies, Jack Black began singing the theme songs to certain movies.

I burst out laughing. "Now I would totally do this!"

Emiko nodded. "Yeah same here. This is sooo funny!"

When Jack reached for the Gone With the Wind DVD case, Emiko and I leaned our heads together. "Ra-da-da-da! And scradle-del-da! Are yoooooooou embarrassed by this game I've started to play?" we sang along with him and then burst out laughing again.

"Why are we soooo weird?" she asked me.

"Because we just are."

"Seems legit!"

By the time Jack was done singing the rest of the movie themes, Emiko and I were back to normal; somewhat normal.

I exhaled. "I would love to do that on a date; just go to some random public place and just burst out into song. Act like a couple dorks and not care what other people think."

She sighed as she leaned her head against the back of the couch. "That sounds nice." Then she turned her head towards me. "Sooooo…what's the story on you and uh…'Boxers Boy'?"

I laughed at her nickname for Luke.

My sister loved giving nicknames to random people. Some of them were actually pretty good…but then there were those nicknames that were pretty…well insulting to some people. I mean some of them were pretty funny, but my sister forgot to remember one important thing sometimes; to not use that nickname when speaking to that person.

Heck, I can still remember that time where she gave that speech at our high school graduation ceremony. She got up to that microphone and quoted our English teacher, Mr. Reynolds, and then towards the end of the quote she blurted out his nickname. Originally, she was supposed to make some kind of witty comment at the end of that quote, but as she was saying that comment she called him Mr. Butt-Kisser.

Yeah, you can just imagine the look on everyone's faces as well as everyone in our graduating class. Of course it was funny and all, but my sister didn't even realize it until she finished her speech and went back to her seat next to me. I can still picture that shocked expression on her face when I broke the news to her. She was so embarrassed when she had to go and apologize to Mr. Reynolds.

The reason why she called him that was because…well he always liked to suck up to the superintendent whenever would come for a visit. He was always looking for that promotion that would get him out of the stuffy classroom and possibly turn him into the next principal; not that many student would have liked that at all. Of course the entire senior class knew what he was up to and we all gossiped about it, but Emiko was sort of the one who pointed it out to the rest of the public. Let's just say that after that, the superintendent never went near Mr. Reynolds again and he gave that position to the young history teacher, Miss Peters, instead.

Thankfully, since we graduated, she didn't get a detention. However, Mr. Reynolds still hates her to this day for ruining his possible career change. Trust me, we used to pass him every morning on the way to our local coffee shop. I can still picture that sneer on his face as he looks at my sister; I still shudder at that.

However, I'm still kind of glad that she did that. It would save future generations from dealing with a grouchy old man who farts every time he walks past you. Yuck! Glad I graduated from that place.

I chuckled. "Luke," I corrected her. "And I started out as friends; best friends actually." I giggled, still remembering the day we met. "He met me on the first day I arrived here. Ha! I can still picture him slashing that tree stump until it exploded into a million pieces; it was the coolest thing I've ever seen someone do."

Emiko raised a brow. "He made a tree stump explode?! How the heck did he do that?"

"He's a carpenter; he does that kind of stuff all the time."

"Explains where he gets all of the muscles from."

I smiled. "Yeah, it's pretty interesting." I looked over at her. "He promised right off the bat that we would become great friends and from then on we did everything together. Ate together, hung out together, you name it and we've done it."

She smirked over at me. "Everything huh? Does that mean…" she left it open ended, seeing if I would catch on to her usual sexual joke.

My face burned with embarrassment. "No! Of course not! We've never done anything close to that!"

She held up her hands in surrender. "What? All I was gonna say was that you guys went bowling or something like that." She responded as she grabbed her cup of coffee off of the side table. As she held it up to her lips she met my eyes. "I honestly did mean anything by it Sissy." She added with a wink.

I growled under my breath and glared at her. "I hate you."

After she was done drinking her coffee she shot me another smirk. "Love you too Sissy."

This was pretty typical petty fighting for us. I mean of course we were sisters and we had the occasional sibling rivalries; but we've never fought so bad that we stopped talking to each other. My sister and I understood each other and we stuck together no matter what. Oh you could try to split us up, but nobody has come close to doing so. It's like we were the 'unbreakable twins'; that was everyone's nickname for us.

Emiko giggled. "So anyways, back to all seriousness; what turned that friendship into a relationship?"

I shifted slightly in my seat. "Well, I guess…we both were getting extremely close and then one day we just realized that we were falling for each other." I laughed softly. "I'll never forget that night."

She lifted her legs up onto the couch and perched her chin up on her wrist. "That night, huh? Tell me about it; I didn't get to hear that story yet."

I could feel my smile widen as I began to reminisce back to that rainy night. "Well…earlier that morning Luke and I had woken up-"

"Whoa whoa! Back up a second, what do you mean 'Luke and I had woken up'? Were you guys in the same house?"

I rubbed the back of my neck. "Uhhh…yeah, Luke spend the week here."

She raised a brow. "Why the heck did he stay here? I thought you guys weren't doing 'anything'."

I shot a glare at her. "We didn't do anything like that! He just stayed here because he was remodeling my house and we both thought that it would be easier for him to just stay here instead of running back and forth from the Carpentry to here. Also…" I paused as I looked down at my lap. "He kind of noticed that I was…lonely."

She put a hand on my shoulder. "You were lonely Sis?"

I looked up at her. "Yeah, I was. I really missed you guys back home."

She hugged me tightly. "Oh Sissy, we all missed you too. I should have visited a long time ago if I had known that."

I pulled away from her and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. "Aw thanks, but I didn't want to drag you out here like that. Besides, Luke came here and we acted like roommates for awhile."

"Before things went in a different direction." She added.

I nodded in agreement. "Anyways, we both woke up to a frantic knock at the door from our friend, Owen. He told us that Luke's dad came back from his trip and he wasn't going to be happy to find out that his son was sleeping at my house. So we packed up his bags and we were just about to leave when…" I paused to increase the suspense.

Emiko's eyes widened. "What?! What happened next?"

"Luke's dad was right outside the door."

She gasped. "Nooo!"

I nodded. "Oh yeah and he was not happy one bit."

Then I proceeded to tell her all about Dale's fight to Kathy's little visit which led to my realization.

"So it started raining and you couldn't go to Luke's to tell him that you were falling for him? Sheesh, I would have bitten the bullet and charged out into that storm."

I laughed, imagining my sister running out into that storm. My sister refused to let anything or anyone stop her from accomplishing anything. She was always determined to get the job done; that's what I most admired about her.

Then I looked down at my fidgeting hands. "Well you know I couldn't go out in that storm; remember how I am around thunderstorms?"

"Oh…yeah, I forgot. I'm sorry Sis."

I shrugged. "It's okay."

"So what happened after Kathy left?"

"I went to bed." I put simply.

"_**Bed?!**_ Are you kidding me?! You just realized that you're in love with your best friend and you just decide to go to bed?! What is **_wrong_** with you Ayame?!"

I giggled. "A lot of things actually."

Emiko burst out laughing. "That's true!"

I smacked her arm playfully. "Shut up!"

Then she stuck out her tongue at me.

We both giggled at each other. Like I said before, we can't be split up by a stupid fight.

After we stopped laughing at each other I continued on with my story. "So anyways, back to all seriousness. I ended up going to bed and I couldn't fall asleep; I just kept worrying about Luke would say to me. I was afraid if he said no or if he would stop being my friend because of it."

Emiko looked at me sadly. "Aww…I hate it when that happens. Mitch Davis did that to me in the eighth grade; he never spoke to me again after I told him that I had a crush on him for three years."

I nodded with her, remembering that day. I hated seeing my sister with a broken heart; it always broke my own. It was sort of like a twin thing; when one of us got a broken heart we could both feel it, but we were always there for each other when that happened.

Emiko brushed her hair behind her ears. "But enough about me and my problems, tell me what happened next."

I moved around in my seat. "Well it was about midnight when there was this loud banging at my door."

Her eyes widened at this.

"So I got out of bed and creeped over to the door. Then I unlocked the door and opened it to find this dark figure standing there."

Emiko was leaning closer and closer as the suspense in the story was building. We always wanted to bring out the suspense in our stories that we told each other; it always made things more interesting.

I paused, leaving her wanting for more.

"And?! Who was it?!"

I smirked. "You know I could always go make some more popcorn for us right now." I said as I started to stand up from the couch.

Emiko grabbed my arm and and tried to pull me back down with that steel iron grip of hers. "Ayame Jane Marrow don't you dare! You tell me who was at your door right now or I'll beat it out of you!"

Naturally she had to use my full name.

I sighed loudly as I gave in and sat back down. "Okay okay, keep your shirt on."

She glared. "My shirt is tucked in tightly with a belt around my waist, holding it in."

"Good." I giggled. "Where was I?" I pondered, trying to test her patience more.

I just loved to tease her like this.

"You were about to say who was at your door at midnight." She almost growled out.

"Oh yeah, it was raining that night, not as bad as the night before but still." I rambled, trying to dodge the rest of the story.

She groaned. "**_Ayame._**"

I snickered at her whining. 'Yep, I'm definitely doing my job right.'

"Alright I'll stop, but no promises."

She huffed. "Fine whatever, just get back to the story."

I rolled my eyes. "Anyways, when I opened the door I found myself face to face with Luke himself, who by the way was soaking wet."

Emiko gasped dramatically again. "Nooo!"

"Oh yes."

"What happened next? Oh please let it be something good!"

I smirked. "He grabbed me by the shoulders and kissed me."

Her mouth almost dropped to her chest. "Shut up!"

I shook my head. "It felt like a million fireworks were going off at once. It was amazing!"

"Did you kiss him back?!"

I hesitated. "Well…not at first."

"What the heck is wrong with you?! When the guy you have an enormous crush on you kisses you, you're supposed to kiss him back stupid!" she ranted.

"I was in shock! What was I supposed to do? I couldn't even think while that was going on!" I defended.

"Well how did Luke respond to that?"

I exhaled. "He pulled back and said 'Ayame, I'm in love with you'."

"Aww! How sweet! So after your little episode of shock, what did you say to him?"

I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to figure out how to say it without sounding like some crazy person. "I…uh…jumped into his arms and knocked him on his back into the mud."

"**_Impulsive much?_**"

I rolled my eyes and continued on. "Then I kissed him and told him that I loved him too."

My sister suddenly squealed extremely loud; like fan-girl screaming. "Oh my gosh! That's sooooo cute!"

I smiled at her excitement. "Oh and if you thought that was cute, we spent the rest of the rainy evening throwing mud at each other and kissing in the rain."

She screamed again, nearly breaking my ear drums in the process. However, I did enjoy those moments where my sister and I would scream like a couple of fan-girls. We did it if we were watching a movie with a cute scene, ogling over some really cute guy, or even freaking out about some romantic escapade that either of us encountered. It was fun to act strange sometimes.

After she was done squealing her head off, she smiled at me. "Wow, you're so lucky Sis. I'm really happy that you found someone like that. He's like your 'Miles'; funny, sweet, comforting, and it sounds like he would be willing to go into any public place and burst out into random song."

I chuckled. "Thanks Em."

She sank back into the couch and sighed heavily as she stared at the screen where Jude Law was telling Cameron Diaz that he loved her. "Now if only I could find my 'Graham'. Ha! I probably won't find any hot British guys unless I move to London or something."

I looked at her sadly.

Poor Em. She doesn't really have much luck with guys these days. I mean she's gone out on dates with several guys and she's had a few serious relationships, but none of them have worked out for her. Also since Christina was the reason why her last relationship's downfall, it seems like Em has given up on love.

Or has she?

My thoughts began to wander back to earlier when I was having that conversation with Gill. He said that he tried asking out my sister and she had agreed to his proposal. Even though Gill thought it was me, my sister still said 'yes'. Could Emiko have a crush on Gill? If she does, then this could be really good for him. Hmmm…you know, this could probably work out for the both of them.

Neither of them seem to have any luck with love. Gill hasn't been out with a girl before and Emiko has been with several guys who have been jerks to her. Maybe they can find some solace with each other. Yeah this could be good, hopefully.

'How should I start this out for her; I don't wanna sound pushy.' I pondered to myself.

"Aw don't say that Em, I bet you could meet someone here. Maybe your Graham could be here on the island."

She looked at me with wide eyes full of hope. "Do you mean that there's a British guy who lives here?!"

I shook my head, laughing at her excitement. "No, I mean maybe you can meet a really sweet guy who lives on the island. There ware several guys here that are single."

Sadly, that part was a lie. Majority of the guys here already had a girlfriend or they were married. I mean of course there was Chase, but I think Maya would probably try to poison someone's food if they tried to flirt with him. Not that she would even be trying, since she almost poisons everyone who eats her food. The only single guy around here would be Gill.

"Oh yeah? Who are they?"

"Well what about Gill? He said that you guys hit it off when you guys met earlier."

She raised a brow. "Blondie?"

"Yeah."

She pondered for a moment. "Hmmm…well he was pretty cute and he did say that I was beautiful."

My eyebrows shot up as high as they could go. "He said that?!"

She moved her shoulders up. "Well technically, he said that my hair style was beautiful; but hey, a compliment is a compliment and something like that coming from him…I'll definitely take it." She replied with a smile.

'Hmm, maybe this will be easier than I thought.'

"So do you think he's cute?"

She tried to hide her widening smile and blushing face. "Well…I guess he is."

I smirked at her expression. "Em, I know that face; you thought he was hot, admit it."

She sighed. "You know that blonde hair and blue eyes are my weakness, Sis."

"Of course I know that; I just wanted to hear you admit that you find him attractive."

She glared at me. "Hate you Sis."

I smiled back. "Hate you too." I responded as I adjusted in my seat. "So what's this I heard from Gill that he asked you out?"

Her eyes widened. "He told you about that?!"

I nodded.

She exhaled, looking down at her hands. "Well I showed up at Town Hall and he was the only one there so we began talking casually. Things were going pretty good, except for the one moment where he got defensive and angry about becoming the mayor."

I mentally shook my head. 'Leave it to Gill's temper to get the better of him.'

"But then he apologized for his behavior and I forgave him. Then he just asked me out of the blue; he did stutter a little bit, but I thought it was cute."

I moved in closer with anticipation. "And? What did you say?"

Her eyes flickered over to me out of the corner of her eye as her cheeks flushed a deeper red hue. "I said yes." Then she sighed sadly. "And then I mentioned that I was new to the island and he began freaking out, saying that he was sorry because he thought I was someone else."

"Who?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.

"He thought I was you."

"Oh."

She looked off in the distance. "I burst out laughing when he apologized, but deep down I was kind of sad; I thought that I actually had another shot at love, but of course that bombed for me. He said that he was just practicing on asking a girl out and I figured that he wasn't really interested in me." She sighed again. "Why does this always happen to me?"

'Oh boy, this is turning bad; better get this back on the happy track.'

I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Well if it makes you feel any better, the reason why he thought it was me was because I'm sort of coaching him on dating advice."

She looked at me with a weird look. "You're coaching him? On dating advice?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Gill has a hard time talking to people and he's never had a girlfriend before, so I volunteered to help him out in the dating field. He thought I was pretending to be a new girl on the island and he tried to ask me out; which turned out to be you."

A smile appeared on her face as she began to laugh.

'Well at least she seems happy.'

After laughing for a couple of minutes she finally calmed down and glanced over at me. "So there's nothing going on between you guys?"

I shook my head. "No of course not, I'm just helping him meet and flirt with girls. In return I work as his new secretary."

Her eyebrows rose up. "Oh I see, you teach him how to win the ladies over and in return you do all of his office work. Does that mean that you're gonna do his dirty laundry?" She asked, trying not to start laughing again.

"No! I'd just be helping him arrange paperwork, clean his office, and probably run a couple errands when he's busy."

She smirked. "Translation, you're a maid." She responded as she laughed at me.

I grabbed the couch pillow I was leaning against and whacked her with it. "Okay, shut it Miss Hyena! I'm not gonna be his maid!"

She held her arms up to block the pillow from hitting her face. "Oh I've got another one, you're his dating coach and your his office girl. In your job description it says that you're there to file his paperwork and to teach him how to make out with a girl!"

My face flushed immensely and I began hitting her with the pillow harder. "Cut-it-out!" I emphasized on every word as I hit her.

She continued to laugh at me. "Okay okay! I'm sorry! Stop pelting me to death with a pillow! I don't wanna die by a pillow beating!"

I stopped hitting her. "Are you gonna stop saying stuff?"

She lowered her arms as she looked up at me with her big brown puppy-dog eyes. "Why no my dear Sissy, I won't."

Rolling my eyes at her, I sank back down into my seat.

Emiko smirked out of the corner of my eye. "But no promises."

I took the pillow and hit her again.

"Ow! I thought you said you were gonna stop that!"

"Yeah, no promises." I retorted.

"Toche dear Sissy."

'Oh how I love my sister.'

When we turned out attention back to the TV screen it was the final scene where everyone was joined together at New Year's Eve.

I threw my hands up in frustration. "Oh you've got to be kidding me! We've talked through almost the whole movie!"

Emiko laughed. "Yeah, I guess we did."

I groaned, covering my face. "I'm so sorry I kept talking. This was supposed to be a fun night for you and me."

I felt her put a hand on my shoulder. "But it was fun. So what if we talked through the movie? I got to talk to my big sister and we got to catch up on each other's love life; well my non-existent now, but still. I love it when we hang out Sissy."

I removed my hand and looked over at her. "Really?"

She nodded excitedly. "Yeah! We can always watch The Holiday another time."

I smiled. "Sure, maybe next time we can have a party with a few of my closest girl friends; you'd love them."

"Can't wait to meet them."

I stood up from the couch and went over to the DVD player to eject the disk. "They're awesome!"

As I was putting the disk away in it's proper case I suddenly remembered the one thing I forgot to ask my sister about. "Um…I forgot to ask." I spoke slowly as I stood up to face her. "How is she?"

My sister's smile faded instantly as she understood who I was referring to. "Oh…she's okay. I mean, she's been better."

After I turned off the TV I returned to my spot on the couch. "Is she upset because I left?"

Emiko shrugged her shoulders. "Well of course she misses you and she's been down, but I think nothing has really changed." She sighed. "She still looks out the living room window every time she wakes up in the morning; always waiting."

I frowned at her. "I hate seeing her like this and what makes it worse is that you moved away from her. Who's gonna watch out for her now?"

"Well I mean the family can watch her and stuff."

"Em, you know everyone in the family wants her to just stop being depressed and get over it."

"Yeah, I know." She paused for a moment. "But I actually had an idea, maybe we can convince her to move here to Waffle Island. The island looks really nice and I bet she'd love it here."

My eyebrows rose up so high that if they could, they would jump right off my forehead. "Mom…move here…where she could monitor us 24/7 again. I thought the whole point of moving out was to get away from the parents."

"Yeah, I'm glad to be moved out and all, but I think she needs to try and move away from the apartment."

I scoffed, shaking my head. "You know she won't do it, there are too many memories in that place and it's hard enough for her as it is."

She groaned. "Ayame, it's been how many years now? She needs to try and let go of the past. It's not good for her to stay in that place everyday; she needs to move away from it."

I knew Em was right, but I couldn't find myself to agree wit her. My mother has lived in that apartment for a long time; even before Emiko and I were born. She always told us that she loved living there and that she would never consider moving. However, it was more than just an attachment to the place; she was attached to the apartment because there was something holding her there, or more of a someone. And I'd hate to admit it, but I felt attached to that reason too. I knew that one day that waiting would pay off and we'd be happy again.

"Can we at least give it some time before you start dragging Mom down here? I mean you've only been here for one day and you haven't truly experienced the life here. How do you even know if she'll like it here or not?"

"Okay, you're right, for once." She pointed out. "We'll give it a little while so I can try and adjust to my new life here and then we'll reevaluate the idea. Is that fair?"

I nodded in response.

At least I bought Mom some more time before Emiko could try and move her out here; I just hope that something will come back in time.

She looked over at the clock and saw that it was almost midnight. "Yikes! It's getting late! I'd better go check in at that Inn before the owners go to bed!" she exclaimed as she shot up from the couch.

I stood up and tried to calm her down as she nervously began to pace. "It's okay, I'm sure Jake and Colleen won't mind. Besides, Gill said that he could take care of it."

She nodded slowly as she continued to walk back and forth across the living room. "True."

"Also, I highly doubt that you'll be thrown off the island just because you're a little late for checking in at the Inn. The people here are very nice and understanding."

She stopped pacing and looked over at me. "Are you sure?"

"Of course! I know all of the folks on the island and majority of them are good people."

She raised a brow. "Majority?"

I hesitated for a moment, debating if I should warn her about the kinds of people like Luna and Selena right now. No, that wouldn't be good to freak her out even more. When it came to bad news, my sister would have her little panic moments. I always tried to avoid overloading her brain with bad news.

Waving my hand nonchalantly, I gave her a grin. "Oh you don't need to worry about that; there's only a couple of nasty people around here. None of them work at the Inn so you don't have to worry. We can always talk about them later. Right now you need to get to the Sundae Inn before they close."

Emiko nodded. "You're right. We'll talk about the island jerks tomorrow."

I giggled lightly as I went over to the door to unlock it for her. "Trust me, there's a lot to talk about, well in your case to bash on."

She laughed as she walked over to me, wildly swinging her arms. "Oh! My favorite thing to do; bash on the jerks of the world. Ah, I can't wait."

I shook my head at her.

She pointed accusingly at me. "Hey! What's with the shaking of the head? Are you ashamed of me?"

I burst out laughing at her. "No! Of course not!"

Emiko sighed in relief. "Oh good, I won't have to kill you now." She joked.

I smiled at her. "I just still can't believe that you're here. I'm just…so happy to know that it will feel like I never left home. It will feel just like the old days." Tears began to well up in my eyes. "I'm glad your ferry came in today."

She smiled back and hugged me tightly. "Aw! I'm glad I came here today too! I really missed you, Sis."

I hugged her back. "I missed you too, Em."

After we pulled back I looked at her. "Do you want me to walk you to the Inn? I mean it's pretty dark out there and I don't think you know the way back."

She shook her head as she waved her hand. "Nah, I'm fine. Blondie showed me to the Inn on the way over here, I know where it is; besides, I've got to get used to the directions around here and you Miss Secretary, have a job tomorrow." She put her hands on my cheeks. "You need your beauty sleep so you can get up bright and early for your first day of work." She instructed as she plucked at my fleshy skin.

I lightly pushed her hands away before she could bruise them, giggling. "Yeah that's true, I don't want to sleep in on the job. But what about the dark? Aren't you afraid the Bogyman to jump out and grab you? Or what about Slenderman? I know you don't like him."

She laughed. "Aw! I can handle them!" She grabbed onto the doorknob and turned it. "I'm brave and I'm not scared of anything."

As soon as she opened the door, a small dark figure jumped out of the shadows and into the house. We both screamed and jumped away from the door, hugging each other tightly.

"Ahh! What was that?! What was that?!" Emiko screamed.

It was completely dark from what I was seeing. "I don't know!"

Then I realized that my eyes were shut. 'Stupid!'

I slightly cracked open one eye and looked down at my feet. There at my feet, covered in mud, was my dog, Sam. He barked at us, wagging his tail excitedly.

I burst out laughing at him.

Emiko, who had her eyes shut too, frowned at me. "Why are you laughing?! Some creepy creature just tried to attack us!"

I continued to laugh at her. "Take a look at the 'creepy creature' and tell me what you think of him now?"

She reluctantly opened her eyes and looked down at Sam, staring at him in disbelief. "A dog? What the heck?!"

I let go of her and bent down to Sam's level. "Not just any dog, he's my good boy!" I said as I began petting him.

Sam's foot began bouncing up and down as I scratched him behind his ear.

"You have a dog?"

"Mm-hmm, this little guy is Sam."

She bent down to her knees right beside me. "I didn't know you had a dog." She said as she began to pet the fur on his back that wasn't covered in mud.

"I won him at the Spring Festival a couple of months ago. They had this flower scavenger hunt and I won first prize."

Sam licked Emiko's arm as she petted him. "I think he likes you."

She smiled at him. "Hey Boy, you're sooo cute! Yes you are!"

He barked in response.

"So why is he covered in mud?"

I brushed a few clumps of mud out of his fur. "When I'm not here during the day, I let him run around the island so that he can get some outdoors time. Then when I get home I let him back in and spend the rest of the day with him. He must have rolled in a mud puddle when I was at Chloe's birthday party."

"And he just decided to jump out and scare us." She added.

I laughed. "Yeah, I guess so."

Emiko rubbed the sides of his face and stared him right in the eye. "Don't you scare me like that again." She told him in a baby voice. "Got it? No scaring you little ragamuffin!"

I stood up, crossing my arms over my chest. "Not scared of anything, huh?"

Emiko let go of Sam and stood up. "Oh don't you start Sis. You were scared too."

I rolled my eyes at her. "Whatever, can you still make it to the Inn without freaking out?"

She stood up straight as a board. "Yes Ma'am!" she said with a salute.

I giggled at her. "Okay then soldier, move out. I'll see you tomorrow."

She smiled at me. "Laters!"

With that last wave, she disappeared into the night.

I shut the door, shaking my head. "Oh boy, this is gonna be interesting. Nothing will the the same anymore." Then I looked down at my muddy puppy. "What do you think Sam?"

He barked at me, wagging his tail.

I chuckled. "Ha! You said it."

Well of course he said it; that's all he could say.

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><p><strong>Well what did you think? Hope it was good for you guys. The next chapter should be out soon...hopefully before summer is over. I think some of you guys are gonna like the next one! I can't spoil it for you guys...but I'm just saying that something interesting is gonna happen!<strong>

**Oh, and I highly recommend the movie I used in this chapter, 'The Holiday'. It's very adorable and it's one of my all time favorite romance movies! I'm not saying that you HAVE to, I'm just recommending it. **

**Also, I want to know if you guys have an ideas or requests for me. I know where the story is gonna go...but I'm running out of little ideas. Such as conversation ideas or if a random character should make an appearance. If any of you guys have an idea, you can put it in your review or a PM. If I use you idea, I'll make sure to credit you whenever it should come out in the story! Thanks you guys! I'll try to have the next one out soon...hopefully when I get back from Disney World. Remember, review and message me! Thanks everyone! **


	28. The Life of a Dancer

Hey everyone! I'm really sorry if this chapter was late. I've been having a little bit of writer's block lately…and I hated it. Thank goodness I got through it. Honestly, I thought that this chapter was gonna be easy to write, but I was wrong. This one was pretty challenging. I'm sad to say that this, but the next chapter might take some more time to get out. Not only will I have to write the entire thing and I may get writer's block…but I go back to college on Monday…ugh! I don't wanna go back. The good part of that is that my college is only 15 minutes from my house so I don't live on campus or anything like that. But the downside about this is that this next school year is gonna be a killer. I'm gonna start student teaching soon and that's gonna take up a lot of time. Not to mention a new job that I just got awhile back. Hopefully I can manage getting some writing in here and there. I don't wanna have to give up on this story, things are gonna get good in the future! So don't worry, I won't leave you guys hanging.

I actually wrote some of this chapter when I was in Disney World; got to use my new Doctor Who: Sonic Screwdriver flashlight (it glows blue, just like Doctor 10's screwdriver). Disney World was amazing by the way, like always! It was my ninth time going and it gets better and better every time. Especially when I got to take my best friend who's never been to Disney before. She loved it! XD

On another note, I've been working on that Ouran Highschool Host Club oneshot and it's almost done! Hopefully I can have it done in the next month! Also I'm also gonna be re-editing a couple chapters in this story. They just need a little something more added to them so I'll let you know when I fix it. Oh and I'm possibly doing another oneshot for Deidara from Naruto. I really love his character and I hope that I can start on it soon!

Thank you soooooo much to my reviewers, followers, and my fans! You guys are awesome and I love to hear your views on this story! Please keep them up! I really wanna know what you guys think. I love getting that email saying that someone reviewed, it makes me get really excited because I'm finding out what you guys think of this story. Also if you guys have any ideas, please share them with me! I'm always up for suggestions and of course I'll credit you guys for the idea!

Thanks everyone! I really hope that you'll like this new chapter! I was hoping to get this chapter out before I go back to school on Monday! Please review and message me! Enjoy!

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC's, Ayame and Emiko. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry**.

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><p><strong>Review Responses: Thank you soooo much to the reviewers! I can't believe how many I got for the last chapter! You guys rock! I really appreciate your opinions and your ideas for the next few chapters! If you have anymore, let me know!<strong>

**ShermanTheWorm:** hahaha I enjoyed writing their conversations, I just used some subjects that my sister and I would talk about. We goof off like that and we like to get on each other's nerves like that XD Hmmm that's actually a good idea, I haven't done a date with those two for a long time now. I think they're due for a cute date night! Haha that would be funny! Oh I fangirled like crazy when I heard him say his famous commoner's coffee line and when he talked about playing Ed (sadly he couldn't do any short rants because he was auditioning for a new anime on that following Monday) Disney was awesome too! It was sooooooooo hot there! Humidity was awful! Glad you liked it!

**CrazedAuthor17:** hahaha I don't know that many Christina's, but the one that went to high school with me was a complete jerk! I did NOT like her one bit! I kind of based her a little bit off of my sister. She's very blunt sometimes and she can be pretty funny.

**GMW:** Thanks for the suggestion! Maaaaybe! XD

**DiamondRainbows:** It should be interesting when she gets to meet everyone else. Hopefully something interesting!

**Jocie hm lover:** Spoilers! XD I can't resist saying that! I blame Doctor Who!

**Alexa Samson:** I'm really glad that you like this story! Gill is gonna have his moment…just you wait!

**CAMJHMPAgirl:** That's good to hear! It was the best thing I've ever done! I hope I can go again next year! Aww lucky you! I've only been there twice…I wanna go back! I really wanted everyone to see how she acts and what she does because I didn't want her to just be some character that doesn't play any part in this. You'll just have to see! Spoilers! XD Thanks!

**Me:** Awww thank you soooo much! You have no idea what that means to me! Thank you! I'll see what I can do XD

**Guest:** Thanks! Good guess! She does look a little bit like the AP girl in the story. Also thanks for the suggestion! I'm glad you like it!

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><p><strong><span>~Selena's P.O.V.~<span>**

"Hey Selena, nice job tonight."

I turned around to see another one of my fans standing behind me. There was someone different every night, but there wasn't anyone new that I haven't seen before. Tonight it was Simon, the general store owner; he comes in every Thursday evening.

I smiled. "Thank you very much. Was it very good for the atmosphere?"

He nodded. "Indeed it was, you've very talented. I could come here almost every night to see you perform."

I scoffed lightly. "Oh Simon, what would your wife think?" I teased.

One of the things I loved about my job was that I could tease and flirt with my customers and I didn't really get in any trouble for it.

He chucked. "She'd probably be jealous and she'd chain me to the house. She hates it when I miss some of her home cooked meals." Then he glanced over his shoulder. "Oh, it's getting late and I've got to open the store in the morning. Have a good evening, Miss Selena."

My mouth ached as I gave him another smile. "Thanks, you too. Come again."

He waved to me as he walked away and left the bar.

As soon as he was gone I dropped the sweet smile act, growling under my breath as I rubbed my sore cheeks. 'Ugh! I hate it when my cheeks get sore, it always ruins my perfect face. The last thing I need are wrinkles.' I grumbled to myself as I turned around to my work space, which consisted of a small stage and a chair for me to sit when I needed a break.

Sinking down into it, I let my muscle strength go and just let myself fall. Ohhh…how nice that felt. I could barely even feel my feet anymore.

Well I guess that's what you get when you're a dancer every evening for about five hours.

I did like my job; in fact, I really enjoyed it. I get to do what I like to do and I even get paid for it too. Also people liked to come and watch me perform; however, it never fully satisfied me. I wanted to perform for hundreds of people instead of dozens and I wanted different customers every night fawning over me; not the same weirdos that came every night.

Unfortunately, by living on this stupid island, that will never happen.

The only reason why I'm here is because it doesn't cost me anything to stay here at the Sundae Inn. If I went anywhere else in the city, they'd probably throw me out because I couldn't pay for anything.

Besides, I've already tried that. I moved into the city for awhile to see if I could make it out there as a very talented dancer, you know like those ones that get to perform on Broadway or they get to be in movies; but no, the only jobs I could get were at strip clubs or being a waitress at a bar. Of course I didn't take the stripper job; I'm here to dance, not to strip down to nothing just for guys to drool. So I took the waitress job and well…it didn't really help me since I became broke and I got kicked out of my apartment a few months ago.

So I moved my flat broke butt back to this place since I didn't have anywhere else to go.

I mean of course there's Toucan Island where my parents live and they would take me in a heartbeat, but there was no way that I would ever move in with them again. It's not like I hated them or anything like that, I love them and I really care about them.

I just…I can't stand living on that little island where it's just me and my parents. At least here on Waffle Island, there's an audience to perform for and I can get good money here. Also I can actually fulfill my dream here, well maybe just a little bit of it of it.

I mentally sighed, remembering the fight with my parents before I left home awhile back. They just don't understand me; why I want to dance and why I don't like living on Toucan Island.

Sometimes I don't even believe that I'm related to them. Hopefully one day they'll understand me.

After drying off the sweat on my face I went over to the bar where Hayden was cleaning up. "Hey Hayden, can I have a coconut cocktail? Non virgin."

Hayden looked up from the bar that he was washing down with that old grimy dishrag. "Rough night?"

I shook my head. "No, I just really want a drink. Do you mind?"

"Nah, it's fine. Give me a minute." He said as he began rummaging through his liquor bottles.

That probably wasn't the only reason why I needed a drink; I needed it to take away the pain. Lately I've been feeling a little depressed. I'm not sure if it was because I wasn't getting the kind of audience that I wanted or the fact that I haven't seen my parents in a long time; but I think it was because I felt like I lost. I lost the man that I have loved for several years.

'Oh Luke.'

His exciting and sweet persona has always caught my eye ever since we were children. He is exactly everything I could ask for. He's strong, muscular, handsome, funny, interesting…the list goes on. I was hoping that when I moved back here, I would marry him one day.

But then that stupid farm girl had to move here and stole him away from me.

A farm girl! Why the heck would Luke go for a skinny little brunette who works on a smelly old farm when he could have the sexy and talented dancer that he's known longer than her? Why? Why?!

The two things I absolutely hated were competition and losing. That's exactly what she was; competition.

She was competing to win Luke's heart with her weird attitude and her pathetic choice of living…and she won. She won and I lost; I hated it.

"Hey Selena."

I broke out of my depressing thoughts to see Kathy standing in front of me. "Oh, hey Kathy."

She looked at me worriedly. "Are you okay? You look kind of distracted."

I sighed. "Oh you know, the usual stuff."

She chuckled as she shook her head. "You always say that, but you never tell me what that usual stuff is."

I gave her a small smile.

I did have a small friendship with Kathy. We both worked in the same place and we got along pretty well. The only issue I had with her was the fact that she was friends with…her. Kathy and I were really close when we were younger, but since Ayame moved here Kathy started spending more time with her.

Also she started noticing how I felt about her new friend and she didn't know how to act around me.

Hayden walked over to us and placed my cocktail on the counter in front of me. "One coconut cocktail; it's on the house."

I nodded to him. "Thanks Hayden."

He smiled back at me and then looked at his daughter. "You mind cleaning up up the rest of the bar for me? I think I'm gonna go to bed."

She smiled. "Sure Dad, I'll see you in the morning."

He nodded to the both of us. "Goodnight ladies."

We both said our good-byes to him as he went up the stairs to his room.

I picked up my glass and took a big sip, feeling that bitter taste with coconut flavor slosh down my throat. 'Oh man, I needed that.'

I'm not a drunk or anything like that. I usually have a virgin cocktail every night, but then there are those nights when I need that little bit of alcohol to help me through the day; this was one of those nights.

Just about everybody participated in that big pirate party for Chloe today and none of them invited me or even told me about it until a few hours ago when Chase and Kathy came into work covered in cake and frosting from head to toe.

'How dare they not invite me! _**Me**_! Why wouldn't they invite me? _**Why**_?'

I felt Kathy tap my shoulder. "So what's the real deal with you tonight? Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

'Hmmm…maybe I can get some answers out of her about why I wasn't invited.'

Clearing my throat, I switched over to my gossip voice; I usually used it to play coy or just to disguise myself. "Actually I was wondering, what exactly was with that whole party thing today? You were quite a mess when you came in this evening."

She laughed. "Oh that, it was a lot of fun."

A twinge of jealously shot through me.

"Actually it was Chloe's birthday and since she has this huge obsession with pirates, we all decided to throw Chloe a pirate party adventure out on the water."

"Ohhh…sounds interesting. How did that go?"

She smiled. "It was awesome! We actually got to act like we were a pirate crew out on the ocean, trying to rescue a princess from the evil pirate, Captain Cook."

I took another sip of my cocktail. "What was your role?"

She flipped her ponytail behind her back. "I was first mate in Captain Owen's crew."

I smirked and then gave her a wink. "Ohh…so you and Captain Owen were getting really close, huh?"

Of course I knew she liked Owen. Those two have been after each other for years; too bad they're too chicken to admit it.

She blushed, shaking her head. "Oh shut it!" she said as she playfully punched my arm.

I gave her a genuine smile. 'Oh how I've missed these moments with her.'

"So what else happened on this journey?"

Kathy interlaced her fingers on the counter. "Well…we swore in Chloe and her friends, then we got into this huge battle with the rival ship where they took Chloe and her friends hostage."

I acted surprised. "Oh my, what happened next?"

"Well after some interesting events happened we ended up getting into this big sword fight between crews. So the good guys triumphed over evil and we rescued the princess. Also the princess won her man in the end." She finished with a giggle.

"Oh, so who was this princess?"

I wouldn't have minded being the princess; getting to act like royalty and getting a man in the end. Sigh…I wish it could be Luke.

"Oh that was Ayame." Kathy replied, shattering my dream that went on in my head.

'_**Ayame?! Ayame, a princess?!**_ No! No she is far from being a princess!'

While trying to keep my anger down, I kept my mask from revealing my true feelings. "Oh…how…nice. Who was her man then?"

'Please don't say Luke. Please please _**pleeeeeaaasssse**_ for the love of Goddess don't say Luke.' I mentally begged.

She smiled, as if she was almost mocking me. "Luke, duh!"

I felt a stab to my heart as Kathy continued.

"Yeah, Luke was Captain Cook's first mate and he was the handsome swashbuckling pirate that fell head over heels for the lovely Princess Ayame." She sighed. "It was soooo romantic when he was going to give up pirating for her." Then she straightened herself up. "Of course it wasn't real, but everyone could see that look in Luke's eyes when he gave that speech about how much he loved her. They looked so cute together."

I tried to give her a smile, but on the inside I was screaming and thrashing. 'I hate her! I hate her for everything! She stole my friends, my popularity, and most importantly she stole the man I love! She's nothing but a stupid decisive little-"

"Selena?"

I snapped out of it and looked at her. "Huh?!"

She looked at me skeptically. "I know that look in your eyes. Look, I know you don't really like her and that you don't see eye to eye, but she's not that bad. Ayame is really nice and I'd bet if you just give her a chance, you guys could become really good friends."

I scoffed mentally. '_**Friends? With her?**_ Ha! That'll happen when Maya starts cooking things that are edible.'

She patted my shoulder. "Also, I know that you have a huge thing for Luke and all…but you just gotta face the facts; Luke is with Ayame and it doesn't sound like they're gonna split up for a long time. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but I'm just trying to be helpful…maybe you should just try to move on."

I raised my eyebrow a little bit, trying to stay calm. "Move on?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, I know it's a hard thing to do sometimes, but I think it would be really hard to just stick with one guy, especially when you know that he's in love with another. Besides, I bet there's a cute guy out there who loves brunettes who can dance like you can."

I managed to smile a little. "Yeah, maybe."

She smiled. "That's the spirit."

Suddenly there was a large crash in the kitchen.

"Oh crap!" Chase shouted from within the kitchen.

Kathy turned around to face the kitchen. "Chase? Are you okay? What happened?"

He growled. "I just knocked over a shelf of pots and pans onto the floor and now I'm gonna have to clean them up and wash them! I'm so tired!"

Kathy laughed. "Don't worry I'll help you out. We'll get done quicker that way."

Chase sighed. "Hopefully."

"Come on, Captain Cook! We'll get those dishes done! Then you'll go off to bed later!"

Chase chuckled a little. "Argh matie!"

Kathy giggled as she glanced over her shoulder at me. "I'll be right back." She said as she went into the kitchen.

I immediately dropped the smile and took an enormous gulp of my cocktail, tipping my head back, hoping to catch every last drop.

_**Move on?**_ How could I **_possibly_** move on? That stupid girl moved here and practically stole my life, well what was left of it. Everything loves her and completely ignore me.

I do **_NOT_** like being ignored.

"Yo-ho! Yo-ho! A pirate's life for me!" I could hear them singing in the kitchen.

"Hey, do you think Ayame could write another performance for us. Maybe she could rewrite something, like maybe a modernized version of 'Hamlet'."

Kathy burst out laughing. "Of course you'd say that. You just wanna have the lead again!"

"Of course you'd say that! You just wanna have the lead again!"

"Yeah, but you could see it right." He cleared his throat. "To be or not to be! That is the question!"

She giggled. "Mmhm…we'll see. You'll have to talk to Ayame about that."

"Ha! Yeah, I'm mean she is the writing genius."

I rolled my eyes and tried to set my empty glass onto the counter without shattering it. "Hey Kathy, I think I'm gonna head up to bed." I almost growled.

Kathy continued to laugh. "Oh okay, night Selena!" she called.

As I stomped my way over to the stairs I could still hear the two of them practically singing their praises for Ayame.

"Oh oh! She could write a musical about Waffle Island! Each of us could have our own theme song!" Chase laughed.

"Yeah, we could all sing about what we love most. Of course you'd probably sing about cooking."

He groaned. "Why does everyone assume everything I like is about cooking?"

"Well what else would you sing about? I mean do you do anything else?"

There was a pause.

"No."

Kathy laughed. "See I was right! I'm sure Ayame could write you a cooking song."

"Stupid." I grumbled as I stomped on the first step of the stairs.

"Lousy." On the second.

"Horrible, worthless, obnoxious, crazy." The list went on and on all the way to the top of the steps.

'Will everyone just stop talking about that little freak! Grrr…if I see that little brat…oh I'm gonna-"

"Ahh!" someone screamed as they ran into my back, knocking me onto the ground, flat on my face.

"Oww!" I winced as my body ached all over.

The body lying on top of me began to move. "Ow…ow…I'm really sorry about that. My klutzy feet tripped on the stairs. Are you okay?"

When the person was off of me I rolled over to look up at the imbecile that almost damaged my body. My eyes met with those same brown eyes I hated more than anyone else's. Except she looked very different. She wasn't wearing her usual tomboy clothes and her hair was curled and looked bouncier.

'What is she up to? Is she trying to be like a real girl so she can keep Luke wrapped around her little finger? Or is she just trying to spite me?'

"I was fine until you showed up and knocked me down." I sneered.

She held up her hands in defense. "Whoa! Sorry! I didn't mean to ruin your day or anything, blame my stupid feet and the stairs."

"Ruin my day? Lately you've been ruining my entire life since you got here!" I yelled at her.

Her face twisted in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me! You're ruining my life!"

She nodded her head slowly. "Yeah I got that part, but what does that have to do with me exactly? I mean how could I be ruining your life when I don't even know who you are."

I raised a brow. "What are you talking about? Of course you know me."

She shook her head. "No…sorry…I have no idea who you are. Also for the record, I've never ruined anyone's life." Then she paused. "Well maybe if you count my English teacher back in high school; yeah I kind of screwed his chances of becoming the new principal."

I stared at her quizzically. "What?"

She sighed. "Oh what, do you need me to make this simpler?" She pointed to herself. "I." She started as she shook her head. "Do not." Then she pointed at me. "Know you." She said slowly as if she was talking to a child.

I glared at her. "I'm Selena; you know, the gorgeous dancer who works here at the inn."

Glancing up at the ceiling, she began to ponder. "Selena…Selena…dancer who works at the inn." Then she looked back at me. "Nope, not ringing a bell."

"Okay, this is going too far, Ayame."

She stared at me for a moment and then began laughing.

"What's so funny?"

Wiping a stray tear from her eye, she shot a smile at me. "You know that's the second time today that's happened."

"What's happened?"

"That I was mistaken for my sister."

Okay, now this was getting weird. "Wait, you're not Ayame?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm her sister."

My eyes grew to be about the size of dinner plates. 'Sister?! There's two of them?!'

"I didn't know Ayame had a sister."

She shrugged. "Yeah, a lot of people don't really seem to know about me; still surprised she didn't tell anyone." She said as she stood to her feet.

I scanned her from head to toe as she towered over me. "You could almost be her twin."

Rolling her eyes, she sighed. "Duh! Because that's exactly what I am!"

I was completely stunned. "Wow, I didn't expect this. I'm uh…I'm really sorry about my attitude. I've been having a rough night and it hasn't been getting any better. I…I didn't mean to snap at you like that." I tried to apologize.

She held out her hand to me to grab onto. "It's okay, I guess we all have those kind of nights."

I pulled myself up to my feet. "Thanks."

"No problem." She responded as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Now, what's the trouble between you and my sister then?"

That caught me off guard. "Huh?"

"You said that my sister has been ruining your life since she got here. So what did she do?"

I stayed silent for a minute, trying to think of what to say to her. "Um…well…"

She crossed her arms. "What's wrong? Too afraid to tell me the truth?"

I shook my head. "Of course I'm not afraid."

"Then tell me, what's the beef with you and my sister?"

"We just don't see eye to eye."

She didn't look convinced. "Uh-huh, sure. Is that why she ruined your life?"

"Not completely."

"So what's the reason then?"

"I'd rather not talk about it right now. It's getting late and I just really want to lay down and sleep off the alcohol."

She lifted her chin up slightly. "Ah, been drinking away your troubles. Okay then, we can always discuss it later."

"Thanks." I murmured. Then I met her gaze. "So, what's your name exactly?"

She raised a brow. "You know what, maybe I shouldn't tell you."

I cocked an eyebrow. "And why not?"

She looked towards the ceiling. "Hmm…well for one, you've been kind of rude to me and you seem to have something against my sister. And second, you won't tell me why my sister and you don't get along. So what do you think?"

I stayed quiet.

She smirked. "That's what I thought. Well when you're ready to talk, come and see me."

With those final words, she disappeared down the hallway.

'Humph! She seems exactly like her sister; weird and snotty. Ha! Good riddance, I don't need you as a friend." I grumbled as I went into my hotel room.

The good thing about having a job here was that I got a free room at the Inn.

After I locked the door behind me I threw myself onto the bed. Then I rolled over onto my back to glare at the musty ceiling that I hated. 'Ever heard of remodeling?'

I growled out loud. 'Why can't I ever win? First Ayame comes here and takes away everything I have, including the guy I was trying to win over. And now her twin sister has come to finish me off probably. Ha! She probably knows about my past and she's here to reveal it to everyone. That's just what I need.'

I'm not gonna say that I was the perfect angel when I used to live in the city; I was a bit of a criminal. Well at least that what I was labeled as. I mean I didn't do anything illegal. I just shoplifted a little and I got caught. I only stole because I was broke and I needed stuff, like food and basic supplies. That's why I got kicked out of my apartment and I lost my job.

However, I managed to keep that a secret from everyone on the island; even my parents don't know about it. One of the rules around Waffle Island is that if you have a criminal record, you could be thrown off the island. That's the last thing I want to happen. If anyone here knew that, then I'd be kicked out for sure. If my parents knew…I don't know what they would do.

I lay my head on it's side, resting my cheek against my pillow. 'Imagine what would happen if Ayame knew about that; she'd probably report me as soon as she caught wind of that. Too bad it wasn't Ayame who had a record; if I found out about that then I wouldn't even hesitate in reporting it to Mayor Hamilton.'

My thought process stopped immediately.

I sat up, pushing my bangs back. 'That's it! If I found some dirt out on her I could report her and she would be off of this island faster than Chase running away from Maya. Yeah, maybe it could work.'

_'But why stop there?'_ that little voice in the back of my head spoke to me._ 'You could do some real damage to her so that when she leaves, she won't have anything left here to live for.'_

I could already feel those creative gears turning in my head, creating a plan to destroy that girl who has been ruining my life.

'But where to begin? Also, I'm gonna need some allies in this scheme.' Then I smirked. 'And I know exactly who to ask.'

I lay back down on my bed with my arms tucked behind my head as I laughed deeply. "Look out Ayame, you're in for a good old fashion revenge scheme and you won't see me coming." I said out loud as I crossed my legs, swinging the top leg back and forth. "Things are gonna change for you and then you'll know that you should _**never**_ mess with me."

**~End of Selena's P.O.V.~**

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><p>Well what did you think? What did you think of Selena's side of the story? Do you still hate her or do you feel sorry for her? Do you think her evil plan will work? I wanna hear what you think of it. I'm sorry if this chapter sounded choppy or short...it was a really tough chapter to write. Also I wanted to get this out before I go back to school. Starting Monday I'm gonna be soooo busy from here on out; not looking forward to it one bit.<p>

I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter! You finally got to see a day in the life of Selena and some of her back story. Hopefully you can understand why she doesn't like Ayame. I'm hoping to write up the next chapter and edit it in the next month and a half...I'll apologize ahead of time if it doesn't come out for awhile. The drama is gonna get intense from here now that we know that Selena is up to something. I'll try to have something out eventually!

Please review and message me! Hope you liked it! Thanks you guys!


	29. First Day on the Job

Hey everyone! Well...where to begin...I am extremely sorry that I haven't updated in over four months. I thought that I would have some time to work on this story...but alas this past semester was a pain; projects every weeks, tests, and other crazy stuff. Ugh! Hated it, but I made it through and got all A's and B's, even passed my math class with a B! Yays! Anyways, next semester is going to get even more hectic for me because I start student teaching; which I am a bit of a nervous wreck about. Hope I can do well! Again sadly, it might be awhile before I can post a new chapter...I'm sorry ahead of time! I really am! I actually wanted to post this around Christmas and New Years as a gift for you guys who have waited these past few months for it, but sadly that didn't happen... So I wish you guys a belated Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! 

On another note, I am almost finished with that Ouran Host Club oneshot...however, I'm debating on how to end it. Hopefully I can come up with an ending to that story so I can have it posted soon! Also I am currently working on my Naruto oneshot; I've got a lot of pages written in my note book and I can't wait to finish it! Oh and I'm re-editing chapter two for this story and it's almost done.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and followed this story! I love hearing from you guys and answering your questions. If you have any questions for me or ideas, send them to me. I wanna hear what you guys think! Thanks guys! Please review and message me! Enjoy the new chapter!

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC's, Ayame and Emiko. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry**.

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><p><span><strong>Review Responses:<strong> Holy crap! I couldn't believe how many reviews I've gotten over the last few months! Thank you soooo much everyone for letting me know what you thought. Especially what you thought of Selena's side of the story; nobody likes her and I don't think she's gonna change. Thank you again for your responses and opinions. Also I appreciate some of you guys spotting the grammar and spelling mistakes that I made

**DiamondRainbows:** haha I won't ruin your image XD

**Shay-chan33:** You are such a sweetheart! I really appreciate you re-reading the story and finding parts that I need to fix. Thank you soooo much! I'm glad you liked the humor I put into it, there's always has to be some humor. Laughter is the best medicine!

**ShermanTheWorm:** Oh yeah the drama is gonna ensue soon enough! Yeah I'm really excited to post it eventually! It's almost done! I can't wait cause the voice of Tamaki is going to be at the same anime convention I went to last summer; I get to go again next summer!

**Me:** Thanks! Well...I can't say what's gonna happen...but trust me...there's gonna be drama! Spoilers!

**Anon:** Well I can't say that I have a set date or chapter when the story will end. I know how this story will end, in fact I've had the ending in mind ever since I started the story. I wanted to start the story out with Ayame starting out in her life on Waffle Island and then meeting Gill and Luke of course. It was gonna have a friendship start out with the both of them (Gill being a little longer since he's very hesitant to making friends and trusting people) and then suddenly one of them falls for her. Eventually, the other one will end up falling for her. I didn't want to rush the story line and I write long chapters (habit of mine). The first half is going to be fun and games...but then the second half is going to be when drama gets introduced; crazy stuff happens to people! Well you're in luck, Gill is actually gonna make an appearance in this chapter! I hope this response helped answer your questions. Thank you for your questions and I'll answer any more that you have; I'm glad you like it!

**Alexa Samson:** Yep! Selena's a bit of a coo-coo brain XD

**SpringBorn:** hahaha she doesn't change one bit; it will come very soon.

**jociehmlover:** Aw it's okay, I'm glad that you still like it!

**Fan:** haha indeed, many questions to answer...but they will be answered soon!

**Guest:** Don't worry, Gill will have his chance for romance!

**CrazedAuthor17:** Thanks! Oh crap! I didn't even notice it...thanks for finding that for me! I'll re-edit that when I get a chance!

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><p>My legs were killing me as I ran through town. All I wanted was to stop and sit down, but I can't.<p>

Doctor Jin, who was walking right past me, almost got knocked down as I passed him.

"Sorry!" I yelled back at him.

"I would commend you on your exercise, but I should tell you to be careful where you're going! I don't want to see you in my office with a broken limb!" he shouted.

I laughed, glancing over my shoulder. "Don't worry! I'll be careful!" I panted.

"Look out!" someone shrieked.

As I turned around towards the voice I saw Julius carrying a box right in front of me. Before I could crash into him I was able to spin around on my heels and continue my run. "Sorry about that Julius!"

Julius, who dropped the box on the ground, grabbed his chest in surprise. "You better be! If you ran into me and ruined my outfit…oh you'll be sorry!"

As I ran up the stairs towards Town Hall I could hear Jin yell, "See what I mean!"

Rolling my eyes at his comment, I continued my trek up the stairs and ran to the main doors of building. I grabbed the handles on the doors and threw them open, causing them to hit the wall with a huge bang that echoed throughout the big room.

Elli, who was standing behind the front desk, squeaked in surprise and jumped, dropping everything in her hands.

I began wheezing out loud, trying to catch my breath. "Gah!" I gasped. "I'm here!"

"Goodness! Are you okay?"

"Yeah! Hah! My alarm never went off this morning and I literally work up about fifteen minutes ago. Basically, I ran the entire way here so I wouldn't be late on my first day."

She gave me a sympathetic look. "Oh, I'm really sorry to hear about that." Then she glanced up at the clock. "Um…you do know that it's only 7:15; you're fifteen minutes early."

My face fell as I looked up at the clock to check; she was one hundred percent correct. "Oh…you've got to be kidding me." I groaned as I bent over, resting my hands on my knees, trying to maintain my breathing. "Ugh! I'm soooo tired now! I can't feel my legs!"

"You can sit down back here; I've got an extra chair back here."

Lifting my head up to look at her, I sighed in relief. "That would be nice." I moaned as I dragged my feet over to the chair that Elli pulled out for me.

I sank down into it, hissing loudly. "Ohhhhh…thank you."

She giggled. "You're welcome." She responded as she walked back over to the counter where her papers sat. "So besides your rude awakening, how are you doing lately?"

I managed to laugh. "I've been pretty good actually."

She smiled. "That's good. You know, people are still talking about Chloe's party yesterday."

I raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Wow, I seriously had no idea that everybody would have that sort of reaction to it."

"From the sounds of it, it sounded like a really exciting party. I wish I could have been there, too bad I had to work the whole day."

"Aww…well maybe next time I'll do something where everyone can come to."

"That would be nice. You should try and arrange something for one of the festivals coming up."

"Really? Do you think I'd be allowed?"

She looked down at her papers. "After that performance yesterday, I think Mayor Hamilton would love that."

I raised a brow. "Gill too?"

"Yes, Gill too." She giggled.

After my breathing finally calmed down I relaxed in my chair, crossing my legs. "So…how is Gill like as a boss?"

Elli grabbed a stack of papers and went over to a filing cabinet that was stored in the corner. "Well he acts very professional and he's not too strict. He's always in his office and he rarely leaves."

I snickered. "Typical."

She chuckled. "Yes, that's him for you. He's not a bad guy after all." She said as she walked over to the counter. "I just wish everybody would stop thinking he's always such a bad person."

"People think that?"

She opened one of the file drawers and started putting papers in different folders. "Well…not everybody thinks that, but there are people who don't like Gill."

'I can think of one.' I thought to myself.

"He's always been this secretive person who closes off everyone around him. Mayor Hamilton told me that when Gill was younger he used to be so happy and everyone got along with him. He said that as soon as Gill's mother died he stopped talking to people and he just locked himself in his room. Then after a couple of weeks went by he began going to work with his father and he began reading books about Waffle Island in the library. By the age of thirteen he started helping around here and eventually became Mayor Hamilton's assistant by age sixteen."

My eyebrows rose. 'Wow, he wasn't kidding when he said that he wanted to fulfill his mother's wishes.'

"He seems very dedicated."

Elli nodded as she finished filing and shut the drawer casually with her foot. "Yeah, that's what I admire most about him, but his social skills worry me. I know he means well but sometimes he just comes off as someone who doesn't like to talk or likes to be bothered."

I held back a laugh. 'Yep, that's exactly how he came off when I met him for the first time.'

"I just hope that he'll find his niche and he'll be able to talk to people." Then a smile appeared on her face. "Lately, I've actually noticed a change in him; he just seems happier recently. He doesn't really show it in his face since I've never really seen Gill smile, but you can see it in the way he acts. He takes a break about twice a day and he goes for a walk."

I cocked an eyebrow. "He takes breaks now?"

She giggled as she went back to her spot at the counter. "Oh yes indeed. It was the strangest thing; about three weeks ago Gill just got up from his desk and told his father and I that he was going to take a walk around town. His father almost spit out his coffee when Gill said it."

I laughed. "Yeah, it's a shocking change for everyone."

Elli shook her head. "I don't know what happened to him, but I like this new change in him."

I smirked mentally. 'You can thank me for that.'

She grabbed another stack of papers off of the desk and began sorting them. "So how are you and Luke doing?"

I smiled. "We're doing pretty good actually; going on three weeks now."

"That's great! You know I heard that you two had a little forbidden romance going on when you were on that pirate ship." She said, shooting me a smirk.

I giggled. "Yeah, I was the princess who was being held captive by the evil pirates and Luke was the part of that crew. Then he fell in love with me and renounced his evil title to run away with me."

She sighed. "How romantic. Too bad it was real; I would love it for a handsome man to ask me to run away with him."

I sighed along with her. "It's every girl's fantasy."

Honestly, that was one of my biggest fantasies that I've always had. To have a guy willing to suddenly ignore all of his problems and offer you a chance to escape all of that stress would be one of the most romantic things ever. I know probably wouldn't happen, but hey, a girl can dream.

"So what about you Elli, got a man in your life?"

Her face turned slightly red. "Yes, I do. He's a doctor in another town where I used to live before I moved here. I used to be his secretary at his office and we've known each other for years. When I was offered a job here with Mayor Hamilton, Doctor Trent said that I could go and help out on Waffle Island. At first I was a little hurt because I thought he was mad and he wanted to get rid of me."

"Aw." I sighed sadly.

"But the night before I was leaving for Waffle Island he came to my house and told me that he wasn't trying to get rid of me, he was trying to let me expand my working horizons and he was afraid that it would be weird for us to work together anymore if I knew the truth."

"The truth about what?"

She smiled. "That he was in love with me. It turned out that Doctor Trent has had feelings for me for a long time and he was afraid that if he told me I wouldn't feel the same and I'd quit my job."

I leaned forward in anticipation. "And? What did you say?"

"I felt the same way too."

I smiled in response. "So what happened after that?"

"Well Doctor Trent didn't want me to back out of my new job so he let me go. He said that he would be waiting for me back here when I decided to come home. We also decided to try a long distant relationship and we've been going steady for almost a year now."

"That's very sweet."

"He's going to come visit sometime; he wants to meet Gill."

I raised a brow. "Someone wants to meet Gill? Wow, that's a first."

Elli laughed. "Yeah, even Gill was surprised about that, but he's anxious to meet him."

I stood up from my seat. "Well since you told me all about him, I'm kind of excited to meet him too."

"Well he'll be here soon; I don't really know exactly when but he'll come eventually."

I smiled as I stretched my arms above me head. "Soooo…why don't we get started on my job training; I think my heart has calmed down by now."

She set down her papers and led me to a small desk in the corner by a window; it was right outside of Gill's office. "This is your desk."

It was a simple wooden desk with a plushy and wheely chair.

Good; I love those kind of chairs. This means I can spin around in it while I'm working.

I giggled to myself as I practically ran over to the chair, sitting down in it immediately. Using the legs of the chair, I propelled my chair around in circles, laughing hysterically. "Weeeeeee!"

Elli laughed at me. "I can tell you like your chair."

"I _LOVE_ these chairs! They're sooo much fun! I feel like I wanna have a race around this office!"

"Well you can do that some other time; when Gill probably isn't here."

The chair slowly came to a stop; right where I was facing Elli again. "Oh I bet he would love to do this too if I mentioned it." I responded as I stood to my feet, slightly stumbling due to my dizziness.

"Yeah, we'll see." She giggled as she handed me a folder.

"What's this?" I asked, picking it up to examine it.

"Your first assignment."

I groaned internally. "Oh boy…my first couple minutes in my new job and I've already got a big project."

Elli laughed. "Well it is a job."

"Gee, how did I guess that?" I asked sarcastically.

She laughed again. "Don't worry, it's an easy one; it's just filling out your personal information."

I opened the folder to find different kinds of paperwork pertaining to my personal life. "Well what do you know?"

She went back over to her desk area. "Just fill those out and you can give them to Gill when he gets here."

I saluted to her. "Can do!"

She giggled as she went back to work.

As I began filling out the forms I started to think about my job here. 'I wonder what it's gonna be like working for Gill? Is he gonna be in a good mood today or is he just gonna be a sour puss? I'm also still curious about how he's gonna treat me as a new employee."

Then I heard the door open. "Good morning, Elli."

'Looks like I'm gonna find out out. Show time!'

I glanced up to see Gill walking through the front doors.

"Good morning Gill. How are you today?"

He sighed. "I'm fine, just a little tired."

"Late night reading?"

He nodded as he walked over the counter. "Since my father is out of town I have more time to read. He's always bothering me with his life lectures." He rolled his eyes. "I can only deal with them for so long, especially when it's the same lecture."

She giggled. "But I thought you liked your father's lectures."

He rolled his eyes. "I can only deal with them for so long, especially when it's the same lecture I've heard a hundred times ever since I was ten. So for the time being, I'm reading any good books I can find around the house or in the library."

I smiled as he came around behind the counter. "Morning Boss!"

He looked over at me. "Oh yes, I forgot that you were coming in today?"

I pouted as I touched over my heart. "Oh, I'm hurt Gilly. You forgot your own best friend was working here now? I see how it is." I said as I started to get up from my desk.

Gill sighed. "No, don't leave. It just slipped my mind this morning; I'm sorry."

I snickered as I sat back down. "Aww…you'd miss me too much if I left."

Elli giggled, causing Gill to roll his eyes and walk away from us to go into his office.

After he shut the door behind himself I got back to my paperwork, trying to get my personal files done so I could begin my first day on the job officially.

About twenty minutes later, when I finally finished them I got up from my desk and went over to Gill's office to knock on his door.

"Come in." Gill said on the other side.

I opened the door and peeked around the doorway at him. "Wazzup, Boss?"

He looked up from the papers on his desk. "Ah, Ayame."

"Can I come in."

Nodding his head, I walked inside, shutting the door behind me.

"I got my personal papers done."I said, holding them out to him.

He took them from me and set them off to the side. "Thank you." He responded as he looked back down at his paperwork.

"So what do you want me to do next?"

He looked up at me. "Excuse me?"

I shrugged. "Well I'm kinda working for you now and I just wanted to know what you want me to do next."

He leaned back in his chair and glanced around the room. "Well…umm…you could…" Then his eyes landed on his filing cabinet. "Can you get a folder out of the top drawer for me. Also there should be a few empty manila folders in there; can you hand me one of those too?"

I snickered as I went over to the cabinet. "Lazy-butt."

Gill sighed. "Should you really be insulting your boss on the first day?"

I huffed. "No…but I can tease you outside of work?" I asked, pulling open the top drawer.

"I suppose."

"Yay!" Then I began searching through the various folders. Each of them had someone's name on them. "So…um…who's folder do you need?"

"Yours."

My eyes widened slightly. 'Mine? What the heck does he want my folder for?'

Trying to shove that thought off to the side, I skimmed through the names until I found my own near the front of the drawer. Then I located the blank folders towards the back and I grabbed one.

I bumped my shoulder against the drawer to shut it as I began to make my way back to Gill's desk. "So what's up with the folder with my name on it?" I asked as i tried to open it.

"Don't!" Gill snapped, making me jump and closing the folder immediately. "Okay! Okay! Not doing anything! What the heck are you so tense about?"

"That's your personal file; you're not supposed to look at it. It's only for my father's eyes and my own."

I reluctantly handed the folders to him. "So you get to snoop through 'my' personal files all day long and I'm not even allowed to take a peek?"

He stared up at me. "It's just my father's rules because he doesn't want anyone seeing what kind of papers we have about them. Also he doesn't want anybody altering their files."

"Well that I can understand."

He nodded as he opened my file and placed my personal work papers inside of it. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm not allowed to read my own."

"How come?"

He closed my folder and slid if off to the side. "My father through it would be fair if I had the same restriction as everyone else did. Since I'm not the mayor I can't have those privileges like he can, even if I work here and that I am his son."

I nodded slowly. "Seems legit." I responded as I sat down in the chair across from him. "But haven't you ever thought about taking a peek at what your dad has on you?"

He just stared back at me. "I'm not giving into unfaithful desires; I'm not going to abuse that power to gain information that is unneeded."

That 'almost poetic' comment made my eyebrows rise up. "Well then…if you put it like that…I guess you have a point."

Then I began looking around his office. "Sooo…what do you want me to do next?"

He sighed, leaning back against his chair. "Hmm…well I guess you could help sort my files in the bottom drawer; it's all of the building files on all of the shops and residential houses. I've tried to get to alphabetizing them, but I just seem to forget every time; it's a mess."

I laughed as I stood up. "Excuses, excuses. You need to think of some better ones." I told him as I went back over to the cabinet.

He didn't look amused. "Just put them in alphabetical order."

I raised a brow at him and cleared my throat, hoping he would add something else to that order.

Gill looked at me and sighed. "Please."

I smiled back. "Thank you." Then I sunk to my knees and opened the bottom drawer.

Sheesh, he wasn't kidding; the folders were all over the place. It looked like he just threw them wherever he wanted and they were definitely out of alphabetical order.

Well, guess I'd better get to work.

"Geez, for a guy who's really prim and proper, you are a bit of a slob when it comes to organizing." I murmured.

"Hence, this is why I hired you."

"Well don't I feel special." Grabbing the first folder on top of the pile, I began examining them."So…how's it going today?"

He went back to his papers. "I'm fine. How about yourself?"

I shrugged. "Eh, can't complain. So what book are you reading?"

"Hmm?"

"That book that you mentioned to Elli; Since your dad isn't home, you can read in peace. What was the book?"

"Oh, it was 'Catcher in the Rye'."

I snorted slightly. "Yeah, I've read that before; had to read it in high school for class."

He looked over at me. "What's so funny about that?"

I shook my head, laughing. "I did not like that book."

"Why now?"

"The kid complained the entire book and the ending was horrible. Like I wanna read a book about a whiner when I could just listen to Julius complain about why he hates plaid. He should write a book called 'Why Plaid Should Be Burned' or 'Burn Plaid, Burn'."

He rolled his eyes. "So are you basically telling me to stop reading this book and move on?"

Shaking my head at him, I huffed out a breath. "No, by all means, finish the book I mean who knows? You might actually like it."

Gill looked down at his papers. "I will give you my opinion after I'm finished."

I smiled internally as I got back to the mess I started.

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><p>Over the next couple of hours I tackled my first assignment with no fear of messing up. I mean for Pete's sake, it was just alphabetizing; how hard could that be? Correction, it was very tedious. Every single folder had a label on the tab that was very worn out and most of them were barely readable.<p>

Gill would notice the weird faces I was making when I was trying to read and he'd offer to help me out. That was a bit of a shocker for me; but since I wanted to try and prove that I was meant to work there, I declined his offer.

Unfortunately, by ignoring Gill's offer, reading those files weren't getting any easier. I mean I could always open those folders and look at the data inside, but I didn't want to look like a snooper and get fired on the first day.

Completely frustrated with myself, I groaned loudly. "Gah! Why does this have to be so hard? When was the last time these labels were updated?"

"I honestly can't remember. I believe my father was the one who created those files. He made those…oh my…about twenty years ago."

I snorted. "Geez, no wonder why I can't read them. How come he hasn't updated them for so long?"

"He gets side-tracked and he forgets. I volunteered to do them but I also was side-tracked."

I smirked. "So you call little ol' me to help? Aww I'm touched…I think." I responded as I tried to look at the labels again, but once again I was stumped.

He sighed. "I guess I can give you permission to look inside of them; each folder has a permit with their name on them."

I gasped dramatically. "I'm appalled Gilly! Breaking the code of confidentiality!"

"It's not the personal files and I trust you to look at the names on the documents instead of the information."

I smiled at him. "Aww, you actually trust me."

He avoided eye contact. "Well I wouldn't have told you…that story if I didn't trust you."

"True and I swear that I'm not gonna say a thing to anyone."

He continued to write. "Good."

"Can you toss me one of those permanent markers or a pen?" I asked, gesturing to the pencil cup on his desk.

He took out a black permanent marker and held it out to me.

Even though I was only a few feet away from him, I refused to move and held my hands up. "Here! Toss it!"

His brow arched. "You're joking."

Pointing to my face, I stared back at him with the most serious expression I could muster. "Does it look like I am?" Then I raised my hands up again. "Come on Gilly! Throw it!"

Sighing out loud, he tossed it my way.

His throw was pretty good, a little too good because that marker slid right through my fingers and sent me tumbling backwards.

I could hear Gill slightly gasp. "Are you alright?"

Even if my head hurt a little bit after hitting it on the side of the filing cabinet I held the marker up in the air. "Got it!" I shouted triumphantly as I held that marker as if it were a trophy. Then I sat up, gingerly touching the sore spot on my head. "I'm fine, my head's sore but I'll live."

Gill relaxed a little in relief. "Good."

"Aww Gilly, you do care about me. Look at you being all concerned and worried." I said, intentionally throwing in the word 'concern', knowing that it would aggravate him.

Sure enough, he shot that same annoyed expression at me as he turned back to his papers, growling slightly under his breath. "You know I don't like that word."

I giggled. "Of course I knew that, I just like to mess with you Gilly."

"That's wonderful." He responded sarcastically.

Of course I knew that he wasn't really mad at me, I mean he probably puts up with more aggravating things from me then this. Besides, I doubt that he'd fire me on the first day, just for saying 'concern'; that's just a funny joke between us.

Now if I told everyone on the island about Gill's…story…then I would probably be fired and evicted from the island. Also I'd doubt that he would go that far because I said that. I mean yeah, he'd probably never speak to me again but he wouldn't do anything that drastic.

'Eh, doesn't matter right now.' I told myself as I got back to labeling. 'I've got more 'important' things to worry about.'

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><p>About three hours went by and I pretty much had majority of the files sorted.<p>

Gill and I only exchanged a few words to each other since the both of us seemed to be engrossed in our work. This reminded me of the days when we were sorting the books in the library awhile ago. I mean to go from barely speaking to each other to hanging out for a day and finding out one of the the most shocking stories about him; that was a completely 180 degree turn.

Also for the fact that we're friends now.

I wonder what working together in the same place is going to bring out.

I glanced up at the clock to see that it was around eleven. "So…uh…what time is lunch?"

He followed my gaze. "Well…usually we have lunch around noon, but I suppose we can have it early today."

"Oh, you don't have to have it early, I was just wondering."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. I'm getting hungry, you're hungry, and Elli is probably hungry too. Since my father isn't here a the moment I guess I can bend the rules for now." He said as he picked up the phone.

I smirked. "Look at you Gilly, breaking the rules. Oh you bad boy."

He rolled his eyes as he dialed a number. "Bending and breaking rules are two different things."

"But if you bend them too hard then they could break."

He stared at me for a moment, probably at a loss for words due to my comment. "True, but it's just this once." He said as he picked up the phone on his desk. "Can you open the door and ask Elli what she'd like form the Sundae Inn?"

I saluted. "Aye aye, Boss."

Very slowly, I stood up from my spot and walked over to the door. Opening the door in the process, I peeked out to see Elli standing in her usual spot. "Hey Elli! You want anything from the Sundae Inn? Gill's breaking the rules so we can have lunch early since he's a naughty boy and he knows it." I said mischievously, looking over my shoulder at him.

He shot a glare at me. "I am not a naughty boy!" he hissed, but suddenly his face turned white. "Oh my Colleen…I'm so sorry."

That made both of us lose it.

Elli almost fell to the floor as she held tightly onto the counter top.

I, on the other hand, actually was on the floor, laughing my head off.

I could hear Gill trying to convince Colleen that he wasn't talking to her. "P-please forgive me for that…rude and ludicrous comment. I was talking to…someone else." He paused, listening to her response to his apology. "I…I was just calling to place an order for lunch." Then he paused again before saying, "If you two hyenas are finished, I need your lunch orders."

Elli calmed her laughter. "Nothing for me Gill, I was going to have lunch with someone already this afternoon. Is it okay if I go out today?"

"Sure, go ahead."

Then he cleared his throat. "Ayame."

I opened my eyes, which were closed the entire time I was on the floor. Gill was upside down in my view with a very large frown on his face; haven't I seen this before?

"Are you capable of ordering? Or am I going to have you do it for you?"

I finally caught my breath and gave him a thumbs up from my spot on the floor. "Capable!"

He stared at me expectantly. "Well?"

I smiled. "I'll have whatever you're having."

Rolling his eyes at me, he held the phone back up to his ear. "I'll have two tomato risotto dishes, a tomato juice, and a pineapple juice."

I shot up from my spot and crawled over to the desk. "Oh oh! Can you ask them for an order of herb bread? Please! Please! Pleeeeese!"

Gill grabbed a pen and began writing on a piece of scrap paper. "Yes, put it on my tab."

"Herb bread Gill! Tell her! Remember to ask about the herb bread!"

He stared at me with an aggravated expression. "Also can I have an order of herb bread too? Thank you."

I slumped onto the floor with a satisfied smile.

"Yes, I'll see you soon. Bye." With that he hung up the phone.

Then he huffed out a breath and glared down at me. "Must you whine and yell when I am on the phone?!"

I scoffed as I stood up. "Well I wanted to make sure you heard me and you knew what I wanted."

"That doesn't mean that you have to constantly nag at me when I'm talking to someone else. Besides, why do you want herb bread anyways?"

I touched my heart, backing away slowly. "I'm insulted that you think so little of herb bread. It's a very important component to every meal."

He raised a brow. "How is it important?"

"It just is!"

"It's a good thing that I'm going out for lunch today." Elli slightly interrupted.

We both turned our heads toward Elli, who was backing away slowly around the counter.

"Don't mind me, just go back to your heated discussion. I'll see you both after lunch."

After she walked out the door I looked back at Gill, the glare returning to my face. "There doesn't have to be a good reason, all that matters is that you know that herb bread is an important item for a perfect lunch."

"Why does it matter so much? It does absolutely nothing for me."

I gasped, horrified. "Well then we're just gonna have to get you an order too so you can experience it's true potential." I said as I reached for the phone.

Gill quickly snatched the phone away. "I am perfectly fine without it."

"No you're not; it's very good for you."

He rolled his eyes, backing away. "I highly doubt that."

Without a second thought, I leapt onto the desk, reaching for the phone. "Come on! You just gotta give it a chance! Maybe after you have some then it'll get you to smile!"

His eyes widened incredulously. "Wh-what do you think you're doing?! Get off of there this instant!"

"Not until you give me that phone to call in an extra order of herb bread!" I yelled as I tried to grab it again.

He jumped backwards. "Is this any way to act on the job?!"

I shrugged. "Probably not, but technically we're on a lunch break right now."

"And is this any way to treat your boss?"

Waving my hand nonchalantly, I snorted. "Yeah, like you'd fire me. You like me being around here; I bring fun to this place."

He took another step back as I made another grab. "More like noise and destruction."

I swung my legs over the side of the desk so I could rest my elbows on my legs. "Again with the insults; we need to really work on that if we're gonna get you a girlfriend."

He didn't respond.

I smirked in triumph. "So will you give me the phone?"

He held the phone closer to his body. "No."

I sighed heavily. "Oh Gilly, you're just trying to make this harder than it is." Then I hopped off the desk and proceeded to chase Gill around the desk. "Give me the phone Gilly!"

"No!"

I was pretty surprised that he was actually going along with this. Never did I expect Gill to be running around an obstacle like in a cartoon. Huh, maybe he's trying to relax and enjoy the small things that can bring joy to a person.

I couldn't help by smile and laugh as I continued to chase Gill around the small room. It was a wonder that neither of us tripped over the phone cord; that would be a mess if that happened.

"Ahhhhh!"

*CRASH*

...I spoke too soon.

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><p><span>Well there you have it! First day on the job and it's been an interesting start. What do you think is going to happen next? What do you think those two will talk about during lunch? Will Emiko come into the conversation? What do you think happened during that crash? Will Gill ever try the herb bread? haha I loved writing that scene; I've actually done that on several occasions when someone was on the phone XD Except it was garlic bread.<span>

Writing this chapter was hard...yet fun because I loved writing all of the shenanigans that Ayame would pull and the way that Gill would react to them; especially the 'naughty boy' comment, I laughed the whole time I was writing that scene. Also who wouldn't want to spin around in a chair like that...it's very tempting to do!

I hope you guys liked this new chapter! I'm gonna try to write and finish the next chapter as soon as I get a chance. Like I said, this semester is gonna be even crazier than the last. Also I'm gonna try to get my one-shots out and re-edit chapter two for this story. Anyways, let me know what you guys think! Thanks everyone!


	30. Dating 101

**Hey everyone! I'm back finally! I'm really sorry for the long wait, this was probably one of my toughest semesters yet. I had student teaching to do four days a week and then during the weekend was filled with projects and assignments. On the bright side, I got my associates degree! I'm soooo happy about that! I will start the bachelor's program hopefully in the fall. I'm sooo glad to get back to writing again! I've missed it sooo much!**

**The summer has begun for me and I just went to that same anime convention that I went to last year! It was soooo much fun! I had two cosplays set up to do….Female Naruto (like last year for those of you that remember me mentioning it) and Rose Tyler from Doctor Who (The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances outfit). I got to do photo shoots at the convention and I even go to act out a few battle scenes from Naruto and some of the saddest moments in Doctor Who. Best part of the trip was when a person dressed as Doctor 10 was screaming out for Rose when I was running up the stairs. I ran to the railing to see him holding out his hand to me. I held mine out to him and he said 'Rose Tyler…I-' (I wanted to cry because it was one of the saddest moments in the show, but I took a picture of him and thanked him for that because it made my whole day. Lol It was a blast! I also got to go see Vic Mignogna again this year (Ed from Full Metal Alchemist, Tamaki from Ouran Host Club…and a hundred other roles lols)! Also I got to meet Johnny Yong Bosch (Ichigo from Bleach, Sasori from Naruto), Cree Summer (Susie from Rugrats, Numbah 5 from Kids Next Door), and a bunch of other actors! I loved going again!**

**Since school is out I can finally write more for this story and I can finish my other oneshots. I have a Ouran High School Host Club oneshot (Mori/OC) that is almost done editing. Also I have a short Naruto story (Deidara/OC) ,I decided to change it from a oneshot to a short story, and the first chapter is almost done.**

**Important note about the story, I know in the third chapter it says that Ayame and Gill are sixteen...well I'm doing an age adjustment and as of now Ayame, Emiko, Luke, and Gill are all seventeen...well Luke will be eighteen now since his birthday was a few chapters ago. I'll fix that when I get to edit the other chapters. Just letting you guys know.**

**Anyways, sorry for the very long intro message...lols...I hope you all enjoy this new chapter! Sorry if it's shorter than usual...but it's filled with humor and cute moments, just as usual. Please review and message me! Enjoy!**

**NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC's, Ayame and Emiko. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.**

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><p><span>Review Responses:<span> Thank you sooooo much to my amazing reviewers, favoriters, and followers! I really appreciate your comments about my story! It really helps me out to know what you guys enjoy about it and I love hearing your suggestions for the future! You guys are awesome! Keep them coming! lol

ShermantheWorm: Indeed school work sucks…lols Oh yeah, she's almost exactly like a female Luke hahaha maybe he will and maybe he won't, that's the huge question! XD I'm almost done with it and I can't wait to post it! ^_^

Firestripe49: Thanks for letting me know! I was planning on editing that part before I posted it, but I forgot. I'm going to fix it when I get the chance. Haha that's hilarious! I almost died laughing when I wrote that part! XD

Shay-chan33: lols I'm glad that you liked it! Haha I had tears rolling down my cheeks for laughing too hard at that part. *sings* You'll just have to seeeeee!

CrazedAuthor17: lols He's trying his best to tolerate her XD hahaha I'm glad you like that!

Me: She's going to back off a little bit, this was just a chapter where she could act like an idiot for a awhile to see how much Gill could tolerate from her when they're working. Thank you! It was an interesting and fun semester.

CAPJHMPAgirl: lols that would be pretty funny, but she'll make her appearance soon. I bet she'd say "I'll leave you two to your…umm…well whatever you two were doing. Just make sure to lock the door next time!" Maybe it will come XD Thanks! Always will!

SpringBorn: Thank you! Glad you liked it!

Jociehmlover13: haha it's okay, thanks!

ChezzMachii: Awww thank you soooo much! I'm really glad that you like it!

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><p>About a half hour later on we were sitting down at Gill's desk eating our risottos in silence.<p>

As I continued eating I couldn't help but stare at the bruise that was starting to form on Gill's forehead.

"Will you stop staring at it? I told you that I'm fine." He growled under his breath.

"Are you sure? Cause I think it's starting to look a little…umm…purple."

He sighed heavily. "Yes, I'm fine. If I pass out then you have permission to call Dr. Jin."

I was still pretty surprised that he was acting so calm about all of this. After we chased each other around the desk a few times, Gill had tripped over the phone cord and banged his head off of his desk. Talk about pain. He actually sat on the floor for a few minutes holding his head while I was busy sputtering out apologizes right and left. But then he just stood up calmly and asked for an ice pack.

After we finally calmed down from that situation, Colleen came into the office with our order. When she handed Gill his order she gave him a strange look, causing his face to turn red. Probably because of that 'naughty boy' comment over the phone earlier.

I had to hide my face from her because I was trying extremely hard to stifle a laugh.

As soon as she left the office I let that laugh loose; yeah, it pretty much echoed through the whole building.

Gill turned to me with that same glare he always gave me on his face; that just made me laugh even harder. I really shouldn't have laughed after everything that I had put him though, but it was so hard not to laugh about the 'naughty boy' thing.

He just rolled his eyes at me as he passed me, who was bent over in my chair laughing my head off.

Of course I knew it aggravated him; everything that I do aggravates him, but sometimes I think that he likes the attention. If he really hated it then he would have kicked me out of here instantly. Wonder why he hasn't yet.

When my laughter finally settle down I went back into Gill's office where he set out the food across his desk like a picnic.

We ate in comfortable silence for awhile, but of course I was the one who broke it when I made another attempt to get Gill to eat some of my herb bread by putting it near his face.

He jerked his head back in disgust. "Get that out of my face!"

"Aww come on, Gilly, it's really good and healthy for you."

He groaned loudly. "For the hundredth time, no."

"It's not gonna kill you."

"Of course it's not going to kill me."

"Well it could." I took the bread back, leaning back in my chair. "Imagine that, death by bread. What a way to go out, right?" I mused.

He moved some of his risotto around his plate. "Yes, it would be strange, but do you mind if we talk about something other than death?"

"Yeah, right right…bad subject. Not the best topic for lunch." I laughed softly.

He didn't respond.

I went back to eating my own risotto, which was pretty good if I may add. Can't believe I've been eating there for so long and I never even considered trying this. Huh, maybe I should listen to Gill's eating choices more often. Since I'm always eating with Luke it seems that there has to be spinach in everything, and I mean everything. I know Luke likes his spinach and it's his favorite, but I can't stand cooking it in every dish I make. It stinks up the kitchen and I don't like house to smell like it every time I go to bed. It's not like I'm gonna yell at him or anything like that but I wish that he would change his eating habits a little when it comes to spinach.

Gill cleared his throat finally. "So…um…is your sister settling in okay?"

I glanced up at him. "Oh, she's doing fine so far. She seems really excited to be here and she can't wait to move into her new house."

He didn't raise his head. "Ah, that's good to hear. Her house should be ready in a day or so."

"That's great!"

He went silent again for a few minutes before speaking again. "How was your little movie party last night?"

I smiled as I took a drink of pineapple juice. "It was fun. We actually felt like we were little kids again and I never left home."

"That's good to hear. What movies did you watch?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "Eh, we only got through one movie because we spent most of the time talking. We watched one of our all time favorites, 'The Holiday'."

"Oh, is that the movie with the two girls who switch houses over the Christmas holiday."

"Thus the title." I pointed out.

"Yes, I've seen that before. It's an interesting movie."

I giggled. "Wow, you've actually seen it? Gilly, you surprise me every day." I responded, shaking my head in disbelief.

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I surprise you?"

"Well yeah, I mean it's a bit of a chick flick and it surprises me that you watched it. Usually if I mentioned that movie around any of my guy friends back home, they'd turn their noses up at it. It just surprised me that you liked it, I mean if you like those kinds of movies, then I'm not gonna criticize you."

He looked at his food, stirring it with his fork. "I'm not sure if that's supposed to be a compliment or an insult."

I laughed softly. "It's a compliment."

"Mmm." He responded as he ate another bite of his risotto. After he swallowed his food he began stabbing absentmindedly at his plate. "So…did she…say anything about me?"

I stared at him with a raised eyebrow. "Why do you want to know?"

He shifted in his seat. "I-I was just wondering if she mentioned our meeting yesterday."

"Yeah, she talked about it."

"And?"

My eyebrows knit together as I narrowed my eyes at him. "How come you want to know so badly what she said? Are you worried that she told everyone in the village already?"

A smirk started to form on my face. "Or are you wondering if she said anything good about you because you might be interested in her?"

His head shot up, turning towards me. "T-that's preposterous. I…I'm not-"

"Yeah, before you finish that excuse I've got some news for you; my sister thought you trying to ask you out was cute."

His eyes widened slightly. "Really?"

I nodded. "Yep, and she said that your stuttering was adorable."

His cheeks flushed. "Oh."

I placed my elbow on his desk so I could rest my chin on my wrist. "You see, when you stutter and blush like that, it shows that you like her or you have an interest in her."

"I-I don't like her."

"And you're denying it. Hmm…looks like you're digging a deep hole for yourself there, Gilly." I lowered my arm and sat back up in my chair. "Look if you don't wanna admit anything, then okay. But if you do feel something for her and you'd like to go out with her, I can help you out."

He looked back down at his plate. "How?"

I smiled softly. "I'll coach you." Then I stood up from my chair. "Come on, stand up."

He met my eyes with disbelief. "You're joking."

"Nope." I responded, popping the 'p'. "I mean it. Stand up."

He grudgingly stood up from his chair. "Okay, so you wanna ask a girl out. What's the first thing that you do?"

"Uh…I ask her out to dinner."

I shook my head. "No, you go find her and you say 'hi' or some kind of proper greeting. Here, let's practice. Say hi to me."

He stared at me confusingly. "Um…hi."

I exhaled loudly. "No, not like that. Pretend I'm Emiko and you're saying hi to her. And put a little gentleman behavior in there."

He straightened himself up and tried clearing his throat. "G-good afternoon, Emiko. Um…how are you today?"

It sounded a little shaky, probably because he's nervous.

"Meh, not too bad. I give you a B+."

"Now what?"

"Well, you tell me."

He stared up at the ceiling, pondering. "I ask her out now?"

"No! You don't wanna just jump into that, you'd scare her off if you just come out and say it."

He rolled his eyes at me. "Then what am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know, just…casually talk to her. Start a small conversation with her and then when the moment is right…" I trailed off, hoping that he would finish.

He just stared back at me. "What?"

I groaned, hitting myself in the forehead. "Now this is the part where you ask her."

"Oh! Um…well Emiko would you like to…"

"Yesssss?" I played, acting like my sister.

"Gooutwithme." He rushed out.

My face contorted at his proposal. "Ehhh…sounded a little too quick. I don't know if she would be able to understand you."

He rolled his eyes again. "Why must there be so many rules to this? Do I really need to follow all of them?"

"Yes! They're very important! It's all there in the 'How to Ask a Person Out' guide."

He raised a brow. "There's an actual book for that?"

It was my turn to roll my eyes. "Yeah, it's right there next to the 'Book of Sarcasm'."

He stared at me. "Oh ha ha, very funny."

I smiled back at him. "Oh come on, it wasn't that bad. Besides, a little thing about my sister, she uses a lot of humor and sarcasm."

"Greeeeat." He stressed.

I crossed my arms. "Hey, you wanna go out with my sister, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then you're gonna have to stop being so picky. You've got to get over some flaws that people might have. If you don't, then you're never going to get a girl."

He sighed as he ran a hand through his blonde hair. "Fine, you're right, you're right. I need to stop being a…stick in the mud."

I snickered as I sat on his desk. "Wow, you're actually admitting to being stubborn. What hit you in the head lately?"

He ignored my comment as he paced back and forth in front of the desk. "Okay, so what happens if she says yes?"

"Then you're in."

He shook his head as he passed me again for the tenth time. "No, I mean what do I do next?"

"You take her on a date. You pick a nice place to take her to dinner; since the Sundae Inn is the only place to eat at, then you'll take her there."

"Okay, then what?" he asked as he smoothed his hair back again.

"Dude, have you ever watched the movies where the guy takes a girl out on a date?" I asked.

"A few…but I have no idea what to do on a date." His breathing started increasing. "What if I mess up and say something insulting? What if I spill something on her? What if I forget what to say? What if-"

I quickly jumped off the desk and held onto his shoulders, shushing him. "Shhh…shhh…it's okay. Calm down…there's no need to panic." I told him, staring into his eyes. "That's what I'm here for. I'm going to help walk you through this. Don't worry, she'll love you."

He slowed his breathing down, taking slow deep breaths. "Okay."

I've never seen Gill act like this before. Usually during stressful situations he's very calm when others are panicking. I never thought that something like this would freak him out. I guess finding a girl is the hardest thing that he's ever done in his life.

He stared at me for a few more minutes before he suddenly pulled back, cheeks flushed. "I uh…I think I'm calm now." He stuttered, looking away from me. "Um..thanks."

"You're welcome." I responded with a raised eyebrow at his behavior, but shook it off. I guess he's just really skittish around girls right now, even if it's me.

He walked over to his desk and leaned against it, burying his face into his hands. He took a deep breath and dropped his hands on the exhale. "Okay, now that I'm calm, what should I do on this date?"

"Well for starters, you should pull her chair out for her before you sit down. Have good manners."

"Hey, I do have good manners. My father made sure to raise me right."

"Okay, maybe you do, but you really need to work on your people skills. For starters, if you don't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all."

He rolled his eyes. "I know that." He growled.

I crossed my arms. "When I first met you, you acted like a complete jerk because I was 'a city girl who moved to Waffle Island with exciting dreams to live on a farm and then I would move away because it was too hard for me'. Remember that?"

He looked away from me, rubbing the back of his neck. "Okay, maybe I'm a little rude to people."

I crossed my arms, drumming my fingers along my arm, hoping that he would change his answer.

He sighed heavily. "Fine, I'm more than a little rude."

"Look, you can't judge a person just because what they look like or where they're from. You have to get to know them to see what kind of person they are. If you do that, then maybe you'll make some friends and possibly a girlfriend."

He sat on his desk, taking in everything I said. "Fine, I'll try to work on my people skills. What's next?"

I walked over to him. "Well after you sit down in front of her, you guys order your food and then you talk. In fact…" I trailed off as I started moving the chairs around the desk. "Let's practice role playing. I'll pretend to be my sister and you can be…well you." I announced as I arranged our take out dinners around the desk, trying my best to make it look like a 'fancy and romantic' dinner setting.

When I finished, I looked over at Gill with a stern look. "Eh-hem."

"What?"

I gestured to the floor.

"What?"

"You just can't sit on the table, it's terrible manners."

He sighed as he stood to his feet. "I know, I know."

"What would everyone think if you just sat down on the table?"

"Well I would imagine that they would think that I lost my mind. I don't think Colleen and Jake would appreciate it either."

I giggled. "No, I don't think that they wold. Also I think Yolanda would chase you out with a wooden spoon."

He shook his head at the comment, not even a smile.

Before he could walk over to his big plushy desk chair, I stopped him. "Wait, let me sit there."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "Why?"

"Well since it looks like it was made for a queen, I think that I should sit there. Now, I'm not a queen, but think of your date as someone special. This would make a great visual."

He stood there for a moment and then he held out his hand, gesturing to the chair. He let me sit down and then he took his own seat. "Are you sure you didn't just want to sit in my chair because it's nice?" he questioned.

"No…well yeah kind of, but this does work as a good visual for you."

"I guess…"

"Alright, now let's practice. Just pretend with me. My sister loves to talk."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, I guess."

I sat up straight in my chair, resting my arms on the desk. "So Gill, tell me about yourself?"

He cleared his throat. "Well…I am the mayor's son and I work in his office."

I raised an eyebrow at him. "That's it? Nothing else exciting? You're not a professional bullfighter or a scuba diver?" I asked jokingly.

He stared at me strangely before answering. "I've never actually fought a bull and I've never gone scuba diving before either."

I smiled at his response. At least he didn't reprimand me for asking a strange question like that.

"So um…what about yourself?"

"Well let's see…I'm going to be turning eighteen soon and I just graduated high school awhile back. Um…I love sweets and shopping. Oh and I have a twin sister who is absolutely beautiful, if I do say myself." I laughed.

"And I bet she's pretty annoying too, at least that's what I've heard." He added, earning a snort of laughter from myself.

"Hey, that's my sister you're talking about. Oh and I heard that she has a friend with platinum blonde hair and icy blue eyes that's a bit of a grouch. Know anyone with that description?"

He shook his head. "No, I don't believe I do." He responded, taking a drink of his tomato juice.

"You must be describing someone else."

I smiled softly at his response. "So what do you like to do in your free time?"

Gill sat up in his chair, interlacing his fingers together in front of him. "Well…I don't really have that much free time because I work in my father's office most of the day. But when I have a few minutes to myself, I enjoy a bit of reading."

"Oh really, do you have any favorite authors?"

"A little bit of Shakespeare, Earnest Hemingway, Mark Twain, and Charles Dickens."

"I didn't know that you were into the classics, Gill." I told him, switching back over to myself.

"You never asked."

"Yeah, that's true, but better late then never, right?"

He shrugged. "I suppose. So what about yours? Who's on your list?"

I tapped my chin. "Hmm…well I'd have to say Becca Fitzpatrick, Maureen Johnson, and a little bit of JK Rowling. But when I'm in the mood for a calming book, then I read a little Charles Dickens or Shakespeare."

He raised an eyebrow as he stared at me confusingly. "You like Dickens and Shakespeare?"

I nodded as I took a quick bite of risotto. "Yeah, I had to read a few of their novels in high school. Had to read 'A Christmas Carol' and then I read 'Great Expectations' for a little light reading."

"That's a good book. But what about Shakespeare?No wait…let me guess…you've read 'Romeo and Juliet' about a dozen times."

I giggled at his guess. "Close, I've read it about ten times. And it's not my all time favorite. There's too many to pick from. I loved reading Macbeth, Otello, and Hamlet during high school and I love reading them outside of high school too." I sighed. "To be or not to be, that is the question."

"Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer." He finished for me.

I smiled. "Right."

He cleared his voice before quoting another famous Shakespearean quote. "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more."

"It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." I finished with a smirk. I definitely knew my Shakespeare.

"Hmm…impressive. You know, you tell me that I surprise you, but I think you're surprising me almost every day now."

"Thanks…is that supposed to be an insult or a compliment."

"You may take it however you like." He responded.

"Then a compliment it is."

Gill shifted around in his chair. "So do you think I should try to ask about Shakespeare?"

I shook my head, laughing. "Nah, she's never been a big fan of that kind of stuff. You can ask her about any other authors though."

"Okay, is there anything else I should know about her?"

"Well…she likes fashion, long walks, movies, and she loves ice tea."

"So should I just walk about that kind of stuff?"

"No, it doesn't have to be just that. You can talk about all kinds of things. Besides, she probably wants to know about you too, but try not to brag."

He rolled his eyes. "I don't brag."

I snorted. "Oh really?" I asked as i straightened myself up, lowering my voice a little to sound like Gill. "I'm the most intelligent gentleman on the island. I'd make a magnificent mayor."

He scoffed at my impression. "Oh I do not sound like that."

I pointed at him. "Yes you do! That's what you said to me when I first met you!"

"Oh and what about what you said to me." He said, clearing his throat, making it higher. "Yeah, if you're the pompous rich type. You keep telling yourself that, but no matter how much you say that, it only deepens the fact even more." He repeated as if I was saying it.

I gasped dramatically. "I do not sound like that!"

"Oh yes, you do."

"My voice isn't that high and squeaky."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Of course I am! It's my voice! If you're going to pretend that you're me, try to lower the pitch a little bit."

He sighed heavily. "Fine, I'll only stop if you stop mocking me."

I thought about his offer for a bit until I came to a conclusion. "Okay, I'll stop…if…you try the herb bread."

He sat there for awhile until he had an answer.

"Fine." He grumbled as he grabbed a piece of bread from the bag. He took a quick bite and then chewed for a few before he swallowed it.

"Well?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "It's okay, I guess."

"You guess? Come on, it's herb bread. It's delicious!"

"You should be happy that I tried it at all." He shot back.

"Yeah, but you should say it was better than okay."

"I am not saying that. It's okay and that is that." He said to me before getting back to eating his risotto.

I sat there, shaking my head at him.

I guess this 'dating session' is over for now. Not bad for a practice round. I just hope he doesn't get into a fight with Emiko about herb bread.

"Admit it, you liked it." I said with a smirk.

"Oh shut up." He growled.

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><p><strong>Well how was that? I hope you guys liked it! Writing the roleplay dating scene was pretty funny and I enjoyed writing Ayame's speeches about not judging someone...I can blame that on my sister who has gotten me addicted to 'The Millionaire Matchmaker' show...it's not that bad actually. Gives great dating advice. Anyways, I hope that you all enjoyed this...in the next chapter we get to see if Gill succeeds in asking Emiko out. Will he succeed? Well you'll just have to wait and find out. I'm going to try and get the next chapter out as fast as I can...but I also want to get my Ouran oneshot and my Naruto short story started. I'll try to get it written and edited within the next month...hopefully.<strong>

**Also the Shakespearean speeches were from Hamlet and Macbeth...for those of you who wanted to know, and I own none of them! lols Oh and Ayame's book and author list was based on mine. I liked reading Shakespeare because we read a lot of his plays in high school. Read Macbeth, Hamlet, and Othello all in the same year. Even got to see Othello performed on stage, which was awesome! Just a little random fact. **

**Any-who, I hope you liked it! Please let me know how I'm doing on this story, I really want to know what you guys think. I love hearing from you guys and it really helps me out with this story. If you have any ideas, suggestions or questions, please send a review or a private message if you want. I'm pretty quick with responding to messages. lols I hope to hear from you guys! Thanks everyone!**


	31. How Hard Could This Be?

**Hey everyone! I'm really sorry for the long wait...school has been really kicking my butt this past semester. Bachelor's program is really tough, but then again, it's never supposed to get any easier lol Also I got two jobs recently, taking up most of my holiday. On a good note, one of them is at a video game store and I get to suggest lots of awesome games. And I've been able to suggest Harvest Moon to several customers! I only have my video game job now since the other one was seasonal.**

**Anyways, I've had writers block on the side since I've been focusing on school and work lately. I hope I can break it soon...I really don't want to stop writing this! And I'm not! I just hate writer's block with a passion. Anyways, I've been working on other stories on the side to hopefully loosen that writer's block. If you haven't yet, check out Unexpected Explosions! I loved writing that and I'm currently working on chapter 3 for that story! I'm also still working on the Ouran Host Club fanfic as well. Lots of editing to do and I'm having a hard time with the ending...ugh...**

**Also I should let some of you know, this is the story from Quizilla for those of you who read my story one there. Quizilla was shut down back in October and I was very upset about that...it's where I began writing and now it's gone. But my writing has never ended since I moved over to this website a few years ago. So I'm glad that I had a back up. Hope some of you readers out there remember me from Quizilla. **

**I hope you all like the new chapter! It was a little tricky writing some of this because I was trying to keep Gill in character and how Emiko would respond to his nervousness. But I had fun writing their little jokes in there lol Please review and message me! I really want to know what you guys think of the story and what I can do to make it better. Thanks guys! Enjoy! ^_^**

NOTE: I do not own Harvest Moon, I only own my OC's, Ayame and Emiko. Also this story was originally called 'I'm Stuck Between a Hyperactive Prankster and a Pompous Rich Boy, Great' I had to shorten the title to fit. Sorry.

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><p><strong>Thank you so much for the reviews guys! I love hearing what you guys had to say about this. It really helps me with my writing because sometimes your opinion can change the way I make the story, in a good way I might add lol. Please review or message me! I love talking to you and hearing what you guys have to say! Don't be shy! lol Anyways, thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys are awesome! :)<strong>

**XxBlue and CrimsonxX- **I thought it sounded like something that she would say lol. Yeah, Emiko does look a little like Molly.

**CrazedAuthor17- **lol glad to be back! I'm sorry for keeping you waiting so long. I loved writing Gill in this. It's a whole next experience that he's not used to and it was fun writing him. That's why I'm so excited to write his date scene lol

**CAPJHMPAgirl- **Trust me, you'll see it soon. And of course there's gonna be plot twists! Aww you're welcome sweetie! I love hearing from you guys! Responding to you guys is also fun to do!

**Ninaj Spy- **Thank you so much! That makes me so happy to hear that! Lol Who knows? I've got plenty of plot twists coming. Oh wow, I guess I didn't realize I was straying away from that. I'm really sorry about that. I'll make sure to try and transition back into that because I loved writing the funny stuff for them. Thank you sweetie! I really appreciate your feedback! Message me as well (cause I couldn't find you lols).

**Shay-chan33- **hahaha I loved writing that! It's how Gill is and we love him. Hey! Don't diss on the herb bread! It's delicious and nutritious! Haha I'm just joking with you! Missed you too too sweetie!

**Cheddar Biscuits- **Thanks! I'm glad you like this story! I really appreciate that!

**Jociehmlover13- l**ol you'll just have to wait and see what happens next! Thanks!

**SpringBorn- **I loved writing that chapter! It was so funny to write and I loved coming up with the role playing between them. It was very entertaining!

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><p><span><strong>~ Gill's P.O.V. ~<strong>

"Okay, so I ask her how she's doing and then…I ask her out or do I say a compliment?" I asked myself as I walked towards the Sundae Inn. "No…that's not it. I say the compliment and then I ask…her out." Then I growled under my breath. "Why is this so hard?"

I've dealt with much worse things in my life. Why did asking a girl out on a date become as difficult as trying to help my father arrange the big New Year's Eve celebration? And that was definitely tough to do. You always have to plan the festivities, get the notice out to tall of the villagers, get a hold of the business who will help sponsor and help, and most of all…to make sure everything goes according to plan and nothing goes wrong. My father tells me that I need to be more open to being flexible with that, but I really hate going outside of what is planned.

Hmm…maybe I should work on that. Maybe I'll be more realized and less stressed if I do that.

I had just left work a little bit ago and finished up my 'dating training' with Ayame. We practiced 'date talking' for the rest of lunch until Elli came back from her break. She did stare at the bruise on my head, but she didn't really ask about it.

I unconsciously reached up to touch the mark, only to hiss in slight pain.

I knew it was sort of Ayame's fault…but I found myself putting the blame towards is me. I shouldn't have chased her around the desk like that. And all of that for a phone. What was wrong with me? I'd never do something like that. I mentally shook my head. It's over now, nothing I can do about it now.

So the three of us went back to work until it was time to stop for the day.

Elli said her good-byes and left. Ayame stayed for a little bit to make sure that I was ready to go and talk to her sister. She said that she'd let me go talk to her by myself since she didn't want to distract me. I appreciated her help and advice…I just hope this works. Since her house was still being worked on, she was still staying at the Sundae Inn.

I just hope that I won't make a fool out of myself if there's an audience.

I finally arrived at the inn, seeing that the lights were turned on, signaling that the bar was open for the night.

Before I could open the door, a very startled Candace. "O-oh…good evening Gill."

"Good evening, Candace. How are you doing this warm summer night?" I asked, testing my conversation skills.

Her eyes shifted down to her shoes. "Oh…I'm fine. And you?"

"I'm fine as well."

She smiled softly. "That's…good to hear."

We stood there quietly for a few moments before Candace spoke up. "Well…I'd better get home before Grandma Shelly starts to worry. Good night, Gill." She said as she started to walk away.

"Yes, have a good night." I told her.

Well at least I could greet a girl correctly. Wonder if I can hold a longer conversation than that. Then again, Candace is very shy, so I guess that I can still have another chance.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and walked in. The inn was filled with customers getting drinks and chatting with each other. Not really my kind of environment, but it wasn't about me. This was about asking Emiko out on a date.

The inn keeper, Jake, noticed my presence and walked over to me. "Ah Gill, good evening."

I nodded to him. "Good evening to you too, Jake. How are you?" I asked, shaking his hand.

"Oh, I'm fine. Busy night tonight at the inn, but all is well. How are you and your father doing?"

I took my hand back. "We're doing well. Father is out still on business, but he'll be back soon."

He nodded to me. "That's good to hear. What can I do for you tonight? Your usual table?"

"No, not tonight. But is Miss Emiko Marrow here?"

He glanced up the stairs behind him. "Yeah, she's upstairs right now. Colleen can go up and tell her that you want to see her." He told me as he looked over at his wife, who was standing behind the lobby desk. "Can you tell Miss Emiko that she has a visitor?"

She nodded to her husband before she caught my eye. She gave me a very strange look before she ascended up the stairs.

I mentally groaned. 'Thanks a lot, Ayame. Now every time I see her, she's going to think of me as a 'naughty boy'.'

"Thank you Jake. I think I'll go have a drink while I wait."

He smiled at me. "You're welcome, Gill. Have a nice evening and say hi to your father for me."

"I will." I told him as I walked over to the bar where Hayden was wiping off the bar.

"Well there's the man of the island. How are you doing this evening?" he greeted.

I stood at the bar, putting my hands in my pockets. "I'm doing well."

"That's good. So what can I get for you?"

"Tomato juice."

He chuckled. "You never change, Gill. Coming right up."

While he ducked under the counter, I took the chance to look around the bar. Renee and Anissa were sitting at the table while gossiping about a different table nearby where Toby was laughing with Julius and Owen. Simon, the General Store owner, was talking to Ozzie from On the Hook bait shop in the corner of the room, talking about their children. And sitting together was Calvin and Phoebe, who were smiling and giggling together as if they were on a date.

I wonder if that could be me one day. I could sit at the bar with a girl that I may love one day and we'd be there laughing and smiling at each other just like them. Hopefully, I can impress a girl and fall in love with her. It might take a long time…years maybe, but I'm willing to try anything.

A glass hitting the counter woke me up from my thoughts. I looked down in front of me to find a tall glass of red liquid.

"One tomato juice, enjoy." Hayden announced before he walked over to the next customer.

I muttered a 'thanks' to him as I took a sip. Nice and cold, just how I like it.

"Well well well…Blondie has returned." A voice spoke behind me.

I looked over my shoulder to find Emiko standing there with her hands on her hips.

She shot me a smirk as she walked over and leaned against the bar. "Sooo…came to check on little ol' me?" he asked in a 'southern belle' accent.

I stared back at her, trying to think of a response. 'Come on Gill. You can do this. Just say something.' I managed to clear my throat before finally answering her. "I uh…I just came to check in on how you were doing."

She sighed softly. "I'm doing fine so far."

Still adjusting, but I think I'll get the hang of things around here."

"That's good to hear. Are you getting to know the residents around here too?"

She smiled as she looked around the room at the other guests. "Yeah, they're pretty nice here. Very different from the people that walk around the city. Nobody's yelling and screaming at each other and there's no crazy homeless guy on the street corner talking to himself." She said with a laugh, making me raise an eyebrow at her. "I really like the folks here."

Then she looked over at me. "So how's it going with you?"

"Oh…I'm fine." I responded.

"Just fine?" she questioned. "Nothing else? Nothing interesting to share?"

I didn't really have anything interesting to talk about. "Not really, besides working at Town Hall today."

Her eyes widened with realization. "Oh yeah, today was my sister's first day at work! How did she do?"

Every memory of everything that Ayame did came back. The jokes she made, the stunts she pulled, the phone call, the chase that ended with me injuring myself, and all of that crazy dating advice.

"Um…she did fine."

She laughed. "You hesitated, that means something happened. What did she do?"

I didn't really want to throw her sister under the bus like that, but I didn't really want to lie either. She sounded like the person who could see through a lie.

"Well…she's an excellent worker…but I guess injuring your boss on the first day…probably isn't the best way to start out."

Her mouth dropped. "She hurt you? How?" I pointed to the bruise on my forehead, making her gasp in horror. "Oh my gosh! Did she hit you with a desk?"

"More like the desk hit me."

"How the heck she do that?"

I took a sip of tomato juice before answering. "Well…your sister had my telephone in her hand, threatening to call the Sundae and…I ended up chasing her around my desk."

She stared at me for a few moments before she suddenly burst out laughing. "She did that?! Oh my gosh! That's hilarious!"

Her laugh echoed throughout the whole restaurant, causing a few customers to look at us. My cheeks grew slightly red with embarrassment. Boy, was she a laugher.

After a few more moments of laughing, she was finally able to calm down. "Oh my gosh…I can't believe she did that to you." Then she cleared her throat before continuing. "So I'm guessing you tripped and fell into the desk."

I nodded my head. "Yeah…and this is why I have a mark on my forehead."

I felt her hand touch my arm. "I'm really sorry she put you through that." She giggled.

My cheeks flushed a little at the contact as I saw the concern in her eyes. She stared into mine for a few moments before she slowly pulled her hand away.

"So…are you going to fire or cut her pay?"

Naturally, if that sort of thing happened, the person would get fired on the spot. I probably had every right to fire her, but I couldn't find it in myself to do it. She was just trying to make me feel better or maybe even smile.

I shook my head as I took a sip of my tomato juice. "No, it was an accident. She didn't intend to hurt me."

She sighed in relief. "Oh good. I was worried that you might. The last thing I want to see is my sister getting fired on her first day. I mean if you fired her because you didn't like her…then I would've stormed into your office and gave you a piece of my mind. And trust me, that's something that you wouldn't have liked to see."

Personally, I don't think that I would like to see anyone who is angry.

"Well…you don't have to worry about that. Your sister is probably the only islander that I can tolerate." I assured her.

She raised her eyebrow as she put her arm on the counter and leaned her head against her hand. "So what you're saying is, everyone here is secretly crazy?"

I exhaled. "No…well not everyone is. I just don't like some of the residents here. They just really annoy me."

"Ohhh…I get it. So my sister doesn't annoy you?"

I hesitated for a moment. "No, it's the complete opposite. She annoys me probably as much as her boyfriend."

"And yet, you hired her." She responded with a laugh.

I shrugged. "I'm not sure why, but she's been a good employee so far."

She giggled again. "Good to know."

Then we both stopped talking.

'Say it, just ask her out. You had a conversation, so now would be a good time to ask.'

But before I could say anything, Kathy came up and hugged Emiko. "Hey there, darlin'. How are things going?"

She smiled at the waitress. "Oh you know, still getting used to the fact that I'm out on some island with a bunch of interesting people and my sister." She giggled.

Kathy smiled back. "Ah, well you'll get used to it. But…in the meantime, how about a drink?"

"Sure!" she chirped.

Kathy hurried into the kitchen and reappeared behind the bar. "What can I get you?"

She glanced over at the little menu on the counter and smiled back at the Batista. "I'll have a virgin grape cocktail, please."

"Coming right up!" she responded as she toiled from behind the bar.

Then Emiko looked down at my drink. "What are you drinking? A Bloody Mary?"

"No, I'm not much of a drinker and I'm not old enough. It's tomato juice."

She giggled a little bit.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing, it's nothing."

I raised an eyebrow at her. Does she think that tomato juice is funny? Or does she think that the fact that I drink it is funny?

Just before I could ask, Kathy slid her drink onto the bar. "Here you go. One virgin grape cocktail." She announced.

Emiko smiled at her. "Thanks."

"It's on the house." Kathy mentioned with a wink before she walked over to the kitchen.

"Thanks a lot!" Emiko called after her. Then she turned her attention to me. "So you looked like you were about to say something awhile ago."

I nodded slowly in response. "Um…I just…wanted to ask…if you…"

Before I got to say anything again, Owen came over to the bar. "So you're Ayame's sister, huh? You look just like her." He laughed.

She smiled at him. "Yep! That's me." Then she scanned him from head to toe. "So…judging by the size of your muscles, I'm guessing that you're…Owen."

"You know me?"

She laughed. "Yeah, my sister told me all about her closest friends. She said that you work in a mine and you can make rocks explode."

He rubbed the back of his neck, blushing. "Aww…I'm not that good."

"Well Ayame told me that you and Luke are pretty good at mining and tree cutting."

A big laugh escaped his lips. "Yeah, it's mostly what we do in our spare time. You should come and hang out with us sometime."

She beamed at him. "Yeah, that would be great. Maybe I can see you blow up a rock."

"Yeah, maybe." He chuckled before he looked over his shoulder. "Well, I'd better get back to my table. Just thought I should say hi."

"Thanks, I'll see you around."

Owen said his good-byes and headed back to his table.

When he was gone, she turned back around to face me. "He seems nice."

I nodded to her as I smoothed my hair back. 'Now's my chance.'

"So what were you saying?" she asked.

"I wanted to know if you wanted to-"

"Hi Emiko!" Chase greeted from the kitchen.

She turned away from me to look at the strawberry blonde cook in the kitchen.

I groaned to myself. 'Am I ever going to ask her?!'

The young chef walked over to her with a big smile on his face. "How is everything going?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Not too bad. I like a lot of the people around here so far."

"Great." Then he had a serious expression on his face. "So I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure go ahead."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I know this might be strange and all…asking a person who just moved here and barely knows anybody…" he trailed off.

My heart dropped at his words. Was Chase trying to ask Emiko out?

She leaned in closer, anxious about what he had to say. "Yeah?"

"Um…would you try my cooking?"

My eyebrows rose up. 'What?'

"I know you just moved here and all, but I want someone who isn't around from here to try some of my cooking. I'm training to become a chef and I need to know if my food is good. Everyone around here already knows how it tastes, but I need an outsider to try it."

She smiled at him. "Sure, I'll try it whenever you want."

Chase beamed as he went into the back and grabbed a plate with something on it. "Here, it's mushroom marinade." He explained, holding out a fork for her.

While she tried the food, I breathed a sigh of relief. 'Good, he wasn't asking her out. Wait. Why am I that concerned? I mean I could always ask someone else out. But…there isn't really anyone else out there that would appeal to me.'

When I looked back at the two of them, Chase was already waving to Emiko as he went back into the kitchen.

Then she turned back to me. "Mm…he's a really good cook."

"Yeah, he is. A lot of people enjoy his cooking around here."

"So…I'm sorry we keep getting interrupted like this. I never realized that I'd be so popular."

"Well it's not common that we get visitors or new residents on the island."

She smiled at the thought as she looked down at her glass. "Hmm…I never thought I'd be popular before. I guess my sister went through that when she moved here."

Then she looked over at me. "So…what is so important that we've had three people interrupt us?"

A lump began to rise in my throat as I realized that this was the moment I was waiting for. This was it.

Why did I have to be so nervous about this? It was just asking a girl to dinner. A girl who could potentially be my future girlfriend…fiance…wife.

Oh who am I kidding? I can't do this!

"Blondie? Helloooooo…earth to Blondie." Emiko sang as she waved her hand in front of my face, waking me from my thoughts. "Are you okay?"

I cleared my throat. "Oh um…sorry. I'm fine."

"You sure?" she asked, tilting her head. "You kind of blanked out there."

"Sorry…"

"So what did you want to tell me?"

I took a quick drink of my tomato juice before I met her eyes again. "Um…I just…um…"

She faced me fully, trying to hear what I had to say.

'Just ask her!' he mentally yelled at himself.

"I just…I wanted to…"

She raised her eyebrows at me. "Is something wrong?"

"No! No it's not that…I just…wanted to ask you…" I trailed off.

She signaled for me to continue. "Yeah…ask me…"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself down. "Look…I know you just moved here…and you barely know me…"

"Yeah…"

"I just thought that…you were very…pretty and I…"

"You think I'm pretty?"

I opened my eyes to see her staring at me in shock. "Um…yeah."

A smile appeared on her face. "Wow…thank you. I didn't expect to hear that."

My cheeks flushed at her response. "So…I was wondering if…you would like to have dinner with me."

She stood there for a few moments, staring at me in shock.

Was she offended? Did I do something wrong?

"Wait a minute…did you just ask me out?"

"Um…yes. Did I say something wrong?"

She shook her head. "No! Of course not. I'm just…very surprised about someone asking me out the day after I arrived here."

This made me glance down at the floor. "Oh…I'm sorry. You don't have to, I was just-"

"No no! I would love to!" she exclaimed.

My head shot up. "You…you will?"

A blush appeared on her own cheeks. "I mean…yeah…I'll go to dinner with you…" she said a little more quietly, looking away from me.

"I don't want you to feel obligated or anything."

She met my eyes again and shook her head. "No…it's fine. Maybe I can get to know the future mayor a little bit more."

Then she blushed again. "That is…if you want to talk."

"Um…of course." I responded before rubbing the back of my neck a little. "So…maybe here…tomorrow night. That is if you're not busy."

A giggle escaped her lips. "Well…all I've got planned is sitting around here in the inn or walking around the island since I'm still waiting on my house to be finished. So I'm free tomorrow."

I was very surprised. She said yes. Emiko said yes to my invitation and she was going on a date with me.

She giggled as she took a drink. "So what time are we meeting up?"

I brushed my bangs back. "Um…how's seven sound to you?"

"Seven's perfect."

I let out a sigh in relief as the weight was lifted off my shoulders. "Okay then."

"Yeah."

Then there was an awkward pause between us. What else could I say? All I could think about right now was her answer.

I took a very long sip, finishing up my tomato juice. "Well then…I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

She blushed a little. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow."

I put some money on the counter for Hayden, paying for my drink. Then I looked at Emiko again as I took a step back. "So…seven?"

"Seven." She repeated.

"Here?"

"Here."

I nodded slowly. "Okay."

"Okay." She repeated again with a giggle.

My cheeks felt warm as I looked away.

Before things could get any more awkward, Kathy came over to Emiko and playfully bumped her, making her lose eye contact with me as she burst out laughing.

This was the perfect way to make my exit. I slipped past the crowd of people and left the inn. As soon as I went outside, the cool summer air brushed against my face, calming my nerves a little bit.

I did it. I asked her out and she accepted. This couldn't be happening right now. It had to be a dream or an illusion. But I couldn't be sleeping. The bruise on my head was still throbbing from earlier.

It really happened. I had a date. I had a date with Ayame's sister. I had a date with Emiko.

Suddenly I felt a sinking feeling in my stomach.

Oh my gosh. How am I going to pull this off?

**~ End of Gill's P.O.V. ~**

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><p><strong>She said yes! What do you think is going to happen next? Will their date be a success? A disaster? Well you'll just have to wait and see! Hopefully it won't take me too long to post the next chapter. But like I said, the semesters are getting much harder since I'm so close to getting my bachelor's degree. Especially since I'll be student teaching for a whole year starting in the fall. Then I'll have hardly any time to work. But don't worry, I'll try my best to keep up with my updating. Thanks guys! Please review and message me! Let me know what you think!<strong>


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